Wild Africa

Africa has fascinated me ever since I was a small boy. I grew up on the tales of Tarzan and Jungle Jim at the Saturday movies.

Africa, the second largest continent, is a land of searing deserts, vast rain forests, snow-capped mountains, grassy savannas, and the most diversified wildlife on earth.

In Wild Africa I have presented a cross section of this wildlife and, as in my other books, I show their coloring, size, food preference, habitat, how they care for their young, and other facts about them.

Many of the animals portrayed in this book are threatened by loss of habitat caused by the rapidly expanding human population.  But many African countries have begun to see the value of wildlife in their economy. From the setting aside of national parks and preserves which bring in badly needed tourist dollars, many species of wildlife should be able to survive in their natural state and be enjoyed by the generations to come.

Book sample from Page 24: THE GIRAFFE

The giraffe is an extraordinary creature. It is the tallest animal on earth. Adult males, called bulls, may stand over 19 feet tall and weigh close to two tons. Giraffes are cream-colored, with brown blotches covering their body. The short mane running down their neck is also brown. Both sexes have short knobby horns that are covered with hide.

Giraffes are found only in Africa south of the Sahara. They like open forests and savannas, with plenty of scattered acacia trees.
The diet of these long-necked herbivores consists of leaves and branches of acacia and other trees. Drinking is a major operation for them, as they have to spread their gangly legs far apart to reach the water.

The female, called a cow, gives birth to one calf every two or three years. The young giraffe can stand within an hour and is able to follow its mother in two. The calves are dependent on their mother’s milk for the first nine months. By then they are tall enough to reach the lower branches of acacia trees.

Giraffes are gentle beasts, but when attacked by predators, they are able to kick their feet out in all four directions, with powerful blows that have been known to kill a lion.