Description

These fascinating expeditions within Ethiopia introduce us to a country of extraordinary contrasts – of burning desert, impenetrable forests, tropical swamps, magnificent mountain ranges. The link between these regions is made by the author in his search for Ethiopia’s many rare animals and is recorded in beautiful black-and-white and colour photographs.

Melvin Bolton went to Ethiopia to make a survey of its wildlife in order to discover where new game reserves could best be set up. Not only did he observe a huge variety of birds, insects and mammals, but he also met with a remarkable mixture of people — from the fierce warriors of the Hammer tribe, armed with threatening spears and ominous silence, to the multilingual game-guard, Hussein, hardy and cheerful in all situations. Much of the country was unexplored and the author had to rely on ‘general’ maps and occasional guides to search out the wildlife. One such journey through dense thornbush brought him and his wife perilously close to the jaws of a crocodile.

Despite the gruelling and at times frustrating conditions, the rewards for the author were manifold: the excite­ment of stumbling upon the teeming bird life at Lake Abiata, the unearthly spectacle of the ice-like surface of salt flats in the middle of the desert, a sighting of the beira antelope whose existence had been recorded in 1899, but which had never been observed since then. The reader shares these vivid experiences and, as well, the sometimes breathless adventures of Melvin Bolton and his wife.

Source: 1er rabat de jaquette

Melvin Bolton was born in Blackburn, Lancashire in 1938. He was educated at the local Grammar school and later entered the Cheshire College of Educa­tion where he qualified as a teacher. After teaching science for five years he entered London University where he gained a B.Sc. Honours degree in Zoology and Psychology (specialising in animal behaviour) and also a M.Sc. in Conservation. He has had various assignments in Africa and has published scientific papers and reports on wildlife and national parks. At the moment he is in Nepal where he is employed as Wildlife Ecologist by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

Melvin Bolton is married and has two children. His recreations include music, photography, fishing and falconry.

Source: 2ème rabat de jaquette