Wild Life: Adventures Of An Accidental Conservationist In Africa

by Dick Pitman

This British ex-patriot moved to Zimbabwe in 1977, when it was still called Rhodesia. Pitman stumbled into saving wild animals almost by mistake. But his sense of humor, and love of animals, made him a perfect candidate for this fraught and sometimes frustrating mission. His tales from the bush and passion for wildlife and conservation are filled with humor and heartbreak—saving elephants in Matusadona National Park, tracking black rhinos, saving cheetahs, and, perhaps most dangerous, introducing foreign tourists to African wildlife. This is a witty and hope-filled true story from a talented writer who is frequently in the news discussing the challenges of Zimbabwe’s natural future.

Genres: Nonfiction, Africa, Memoir, Wildlife, Nature, Animals

304 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, and parts didn't disappoint. I loved the imagery and the way Pitman described the beautiful African animals. He truly has a flair for description. He nearly convinced me that I might one day go to Zimbabwe to see the majestic elephants and the misunderstood black rhinos...
I felt shaken and disturbed by poachers and the greed of humanity that causes people to needlessly shoot these peaceful creatures.
Unfortunately, in large chunks of the book, Pitman's narrative simply was not engaging to me. I was bored by what seemed to be more of a report than a story. The chapters often felt disjointed and there were openings that were never sealed... He attempted humor, but it came across as sort of cheesy. I never really felt close to his character, nor did he really let us too close to any humans...
Over all, I just say eh.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books on Africa I've ever read. Wildlife conservation and adventures in Zimbabwe both before and after Mugabe took that country down the toilet. Both humorous and informative, good reading.

[Holly Wood · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conversation of conservationist vs preservationist is evident in the book and I found the politics on animals in these regions interesting

[PeaceRose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dick Pitman wrote in the prologue to this book that It's "set almost exclusively in Zimbabwe. Whatever sins it may have committed in the eyes of the world – and I’m not blind to these – Zimbabwe took me in, dusted me down, and gave me the life I’ve enjoyed. I’m not about to kick it in the teeth. I’ve mostly refrained from political comment and merely described those events that have impacted my own activities." The author keeps true to his word, but my fears that this would turn out to be a whitewashed, worth-reading-only-for-animals-related-episodes kind of book didn’t materialize, because his activities pitted him all too often against successive governments, each as thoroughly corrupt as the previous one, as well as various international conservation organizations, many of which apparently spend most of their money on actions that at best don’t make any difference to conservation efforts (workshops, conferences, consultations, discussions, talks, etc.) and at worst actually promote animal slaughter under the guise of providing people with a sustainable income (from hunters). Even though it could have been a depressing book, the author’s very clear-eyed and satirical tone, which cuts right through the current fads and pretensions, makes these passages almost a pleasure to read. And it’s not all bad news, as Pitman describes his and fellow dedicated enthusiasts’ successful efforts to circumvent the government officials and save wildlife, as well as his visits to various wildlife areas to restore his energy and to remind himself what he was doing it all for. There are also passages of pure fun, in which the author recounts the animals’ and tourists’ antiques and his own misadventures. But, perhaps, what stood out the most for me was the unimaginable dedication of many national park employees who continued to do their work despite lack of payment, physical danger from poachers and imprisonment by governments in cohorts with poachers. It seems that people who complain that Tolkien’s orcs are too bad and his elves are too good don’t know enough about human nature.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Or is it “Life in the Wild?” Dick Pitman has lived among the animals of in the remotest wilderness areas of Zimbabwe for nearly thirty years. He brings a realistic, refreshing perspective to why it is so difficult to conserve wildlife in Africa. Even though corrupt officials syphon donor funds, and villagers are forced to poach to survive, there is progress, and there is hope in his world view. He describes with wry wit encounters of the wild kind that nearly cost him his life without complaint. He knows he has chosen his way to die. Doing what he loves, where he loves doing it. His efforts to re-establish cheetahs, that are considered pests by villagers, much like cattlemen in Montana view wolves, are successful. Collaring elephants and helping rangers cut poachers off at the pass has also been rewarded with recovering herds. He does not minimize the political problems that the people, and animals living in wilderness face, but he doesn’t club you over the head with it either. Rather he tries to take you there with descriptive, clever writing that makes you appreciate the beauty of the wild places left in our world.Lost Angel Walkabout: One Traveler's Tales

[Heidi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book, and parts didn't disappoint. I loved the imagery and the way Pitman described the beautiful African animals. He truly has a flair for description. He nearly convinced me that I might one day go to Zimbabwe to see the majestic elephants and the misunderstood black rhinos...
I felt shaken and disturbed by poachers and the greed of humanity that causes people to needlessly shoot these peaceful creatures.
Unfortunately, in large chunks of the book, Pitman's narrative simply was not engaging to me. I was bored by what seemed to be more of a report than a story. The chapters often felt disjointed and there were openings that were never sealed... He attempted humor, but it came across as sort of cheesy. I never really felt close to his character, nor did he really let us too close to any humans...
Over all, I just say eh.

[Diana M. Hawkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

A tribute to the Zimbabwe’s landscape and wildlife. Dick Pitman, a British ex-patriot, stopped in Zimbabwe on his way to South Africa, in 1977, when the country was still known as Rhodesia. He explores national parks along the shores of Lake Kariba and the Zambezi River and describes his personal transformation from tourist to wildlife conservationist. His stories of shepherding foreign tourists through the bush and saving elephants, cheetahs, and black rhino, are filled with humor, passion, and heartbreak. This book is definitely on my list of “keepers.” Diana M. Hawkins, author of Shadows along the Zambezi.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful African anecdotes in the style of Gerald Durrell and Bill Bryson. Pitman's account of his years in the Rhodesian/Zimbabwean bush are great reading. Cheetahs, rhinos and elephants are the focus of his conservation work as one of the founders of the Zambezi Society, but he arrived in southern Africa as a writer and photographer. Refreshingly unpolitical, A Wild Life takes the reader down the Zambezi on a faulty barge with the aforementioned celebrity fundraiser Durrell and explains what it feels like to have a bull elephant forage beneath your feet.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

Terrible. I bought it because I thought the writer would be in the vein of Gerald Durrell but he wasn't at all humourous. Worst yet, he specialised in self-congratulations. Quite frankly I was bored and abandoned the book. I am going to have to look into donating it to a library.

[Avary Doubleday · Rating 4 out of 5]

As the book progressed the sarcastic style of writing began to wear thin, but the story was good. Though the facts about Zimbabwe are grim no matter how presented, this book gave hope that some wildlife may survive for future generations to enjoy there.

[Simon Vegter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dick has an entertaining way of writing, but somehow it took me a long time to get through the book. It just didn't capture me as I though it would.

[Finn]

it was good

[Jan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great story, great writing! If only his other 2 books weren't $30+.

[Pam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stories of African conservation by Dick Pitman -- all these people love animals more than people :) haha older guy.