Mark Owens (1)

A truly amazing and sometimes dumbfounding travelogue about two idealistic rookie survivalists who decide to traipse out into the deep bush with a rickety plane and few supplies. She barely scrambles into the truck to escape being eaten lions in one chilling nighttime vignette. He gets the aforementioned little plane to start just in the nick of time in another. Their trusted African guide deserts them one day on a trip to town and never returns; they espy him later, but don't say anything show more to him (if I remember correctly) and walk away, realizing he simply got tired of the lonely and perilous grind that is wilderness study. They sometimes sleep on the bare ground of the savannah under the wing of their plane at night. Yes, in an area teeming with lions, hyenas and leopards. Talk about a wing and a prayer... They become some of the first humans to make detailed observations of the intricate social behavior of brown hyenas, including underground in their burrows. There are photos of them cuddling with adult hyenas (the land predators with the strongest bite force on earth) in their campsite, which is unbelievably foolish in my opinion, as hyenas sometimes prey on lions and leopards. They eventually get more grant money and are able to set up a more official, scientifically-capable campsite in which to do their research. How this has not been made into a Hollywood movie is beyond me, as is how they managed to not to become dinner à la Grizzly Man. Some of the photos, such as one of a hornbill scavenging inside their cooking pot, provide comic relief. The best way to read this book is to occasionally put it down and go watch some videos of predation in Kruger National Park on YouTube. That's in nearby South Africa, not Botswana (where this book takes place), but it has a larger concentration of these beasts and hence more blood-curdling action to behold.
Too bad the photos are in black & white; do later editions possibly have color photos? show less

I picked this up for $1 at a book sale and didn't expect much given its age but was really surprised how good it is, I felt transported to Africa and slowed down reading to make it last. There is something iconic about lions and the 1970s (Born Free) and this is one of those stories. But it's more than a period piece, it still reads fresh and exciting. I was most amazed at the do it yourself accomplishments of Mark and Delia Owens, they are able to do anything in the bush using the most show more rudimentary equipment. After they performed surgery on a wild lion it nearly jumped the shark into an uncanny valley of incredibility - but all true, the Deception Valley where they studied really is "incredible". The book has a lot to offer and should be a classic of its type. The book is not unknown (was a best-seller), but it hasn't been canonized, and like the animals risks slipping into obscurity which would be unfortunate. show less

In 1974 Mark and Delia headed to Africa to start a research project just one year after their wedding day. Cry of the Kalahari is the story of their seven years in the Kalahari Desert. Taking turns, they share their experiences living with brown hyenas, lion prides, and unpredictable jackals, among many other animals. Because most of the animals have never seen humans before they are neither threatened or antagonized by Mark and Delia’s presence. At face value, Cry of the Kalahari is show more romantic and idealistic.

Admittedly, I have a few issues with Cry of the Kalahari, beginning with the trivial. One, how many times they mentioned the temperatures being 120 degrees in the shade. You are in the Kalahari desert! What did you expect?
Two, their so-called research. They went to Kalahari not really sure what they wanted to work on. When they discovered there was little known about the brown hyena they set about to learn all they could about the species, then they added jackals, and yet after Bones, a male lion, was murdered by hunters they changed their focus to protecting all wildlife of the Kalahari. By the end of the book their focus had widened to include wildebeest. How they received funding for such vague and vast research is beyond me. However, the couple is quick to point out Cry of the Kalahari is not detailed report of their research. That will show up elsewhere they promised.
My third issue is probably the most personal. They claimed over and over they didn’t want to interfere with the wildlife because it would change the validity of their research. They cried as animals starved to death outside their food-laden tent. Yet they had no problem performing a makeshift surgery on Bones, a lion who had broken his leg, or smearing motor oil on Blue, another lion who suffered from parasites. Most likely both of these animals would have died without human intervention. Essentially, the Owenes actions disrupted the circle of life in the Kalahari. show less

As the subtitle says, this was truly “An Epic Adventure in the African Wilderness.” This story of Mark and Delia Owens’ efforts to save the elephants and other wildlife in a Zambian natural park was without a dull moment. In the first few chapters, Mark had gotten lost in the dessert and both authors had encountered a cobra and a pride of lions. The book continues with awe-inspiring encounters with wildlife and more frightening encounters with poachers.

Despite the action-packed nature show more of the book, both authors found time to describe the natural beauty and majestic animals surrounding them. Their love for nature made these poetic descriptions incredibly moving. Each chapter in the book was written by either Mark or Delia and I suspect their editor deserves a ton of credit because their distinct personalities come through without ever disrupting the flow of their narrative.

Even though the point of a book like this is to raise awareness of a problem, I really appreciated that they wrote the book at a point where most parts of the story have a happy ending. While it’s definitely important to alert people to the plight of endangered animals, you get too close to specific animals they describe to deal well with an unhappy ending. The struggle they face with corrupt officials is also incredibly frustrating, so it was nice to see that things were moving in the right direction at the end of the book.

Alison at The Cheap Reader was just discussing the pros and cons of having a happy ending, and I mostly thought about this in terms of YA books, where I favor happy endings because I like to feel happy after reading a book. In the case of a book like this, I was still glad of a happy ending, but for a different reason. I hate for a book discussing a big problem I care about to end unresolved because I don’t feel like I can do anything about it. Unlike A Spring Without Bees which discusses a problem everyone can contribute to from their own bee-friendly, pesticide-free garden, poaching is not a problem I feel equipped to deal with. But I think part of the message of this book is that that’s not true – it is possible for very few people to have a huge impact. In that spirit, I’ve donated to The Owens Foundation already, to do my little bit for conservation, and I hope you’ll consider doing the same for them or for any other cause you care deeply about. Even as poor college students, we can spare a little :) show less