Fair Game – a hidden history of the Kruger National Park

Description

What’s Inside?
Fair Game is the story of the hidden history and heritage of the Kruger National Park. It’s an engrossing and little-known tale filled with boisterous personalities, twists of fate, unlikely heroes, stubborn perseverance, greedy villains and (luckily) a very happy ending. So, prepare yourself for a grand historical safari as we recount the unlikely tale of an unwanted wasteland that grew into the one of the greatest game reserves in the world.

Also included: a comprehensive planning guide to help you make the most of your time in the Kruger.

Also available as an eBook on the Kindle Store: click here for a preview

What’s It About?:
The Kruger National Park is an institution. It is South Africa’s flagship game reserve and an internationally renowned wildlife sanctuary. As such, ‘Kruger’ is well known and well loved; a shining jewel in South Africa’s tourism crown.

But this was not always the case. For much of its early history, the Kruger Park was very unpopular with hunters, farmers and politicians, and the reserve was nearly deproclaimed several times. As one critic decried, ‘But what’s the point of looking at the things?’.

Luckily, thanks to the hard work of several dedicated individuals, the Kruger not only endured but grew in size and stature to become one of the most important wildlife sanctuaries in the world. More importantly, the concept of wildlife conservation – anchored by reserves such as the Kruger – has become a way of life for many nature lovers in South Africa and around the world.

Over the years, however, the true story of the Kruger’s tumultuous early years has been overlooked, abridged, or even re-written to fit in with the tone of the times. So much so that today, most visitors to this remarkable place have very little understanding of how the Kruger came to be (and just how close we came to losing it forever).

Now, ‘Fair Game’ reveals the Kruger’s hidden history, warthogs and all. From its establishment in 1898 as the humble Sabi Reserve, through the 50-year stewardship of its first warden and champion (a stubborn Scotsman named James Stevenson-Hamilton), to its re-birth as the Kruger National Park, and beyond, the story of the KNP is filled with adventure, adversity and more than a few surprises (Spoiler Alert: Paul Kruger had very little to do with it!).

Thoroughly researched and written in a breezy, informative writing style, ‘Fair Game – a hidden history of the Kruger National Park’ is designed as a good read that will enlighten KNP buffs and novices alike. This isn’t just another travel guide or game spotting book with a bit of history thrown in. It’s an engrossing and little-known historical safari, told from a modern perspective, that tells the unlikely tale of an unwanted wasteland that grew into the one of the greatest game reserves on Earth.

232 pages, black and white with two maps of the region, dimensions: 210x148mm