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Tales of an African Vet
The heart-wrenching and adventure-filled stories of a South African wild animal vet and his colleagues
When do you watch a wild animal suffer and let nature take its course, and when do you intervene? In his more than twenty-five years as an African vet, Dr. Roy Aronson has seen and done some remarkable things. He has tracked lions and cheetahs, anesthetized rhinoceroses and king cobras, collared rogue elephants, performed eye surgery on a lion out in the bush, been attacked by a puff adder, come face to face with an angry hybrid wolf, and nearly lost a foot to a crocodile. Dr. Aronson has also worked with some of Africa’s most dedicated conservationists and wildlife veterinarians. He has witnessed their passion and bravery and been with them when hard decisions had to be made.
Tales of an African Vet brings together Dr. Aronson’s adventures in a rare behind-the-scenes look at those who treat wild animals in their natural habitat. For those drawn to outdoor adventure stories, African wildlife, or the veterinarian’s trade, it is a riveting book replete with rich insights into both the animal and human cultures of Africa.
When do you watch a wild animal suffer and let nature take its course, and when do you intervene? In his more than twenty-five years as an African vet, Dr. Roy Aronson has seen and done some remarkable things. He has tracked lions and cheetahs, anesthetized rhinoceroses and king cobras, collared rogue elephants, performed eye surgery on a lion out in the bush, been attacked by a puff adder, come face to face with an angry hybrid wolf, and nearly lost a foot to a crocodile. Dr. Aronson has also worked with some of Africa’s most dedicated conservationists and wildlife veterinarians. He has witnessed their passion and bravery and been with them when hard decisions had to be made.
Tales of an African Vet brings together Dr. Aronson’s adventures in a rare behind-the-scenes look at those who treat wild animals in their natural habitat. For those drawn to outdoor adventure stories, African wildlife, or the veterinarian’s trade, it is a riveting book replete with rich insights into both the animal and human cultures of Africa.
240 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2007
18 people are currently reading
638 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 57 reviews
March 1, 2014
Most of the chapters in this book could, with very little revision, probably stand alone -- there's no real storyline, and information is periodically repeated. But hey -- at least it's interesting information.
I fold down corners when I read -- it's a terrible habit, I suppose, but it works. Bottom corners if I want to copy something down, and top corners if I want to look something up or come back to a concept. This one was full of top corners:
-Rhinoceros horns are made solely of keratin, with no bone (page 27).
-Elephant ears act as cooling devices; as elephants flap their ears, the blood inside is cooled down and then transported throughout the rest of the body (page 92).
-Snakes have ribcages (page 158). I probably should have figured this out on my own, though in my defense it's not something I'd ever given any thought to.
-"Crocodiles have lairs underwater in submerged caves and are thought to store their prey there, allowing the flesh to rot before consuming the meat" (page 179). WHAT.
-Crocodile sex depends on the temperature at which the eggs are incubated (page 184).
I am really not an animal person -- blasphemy, I know -- but I love getting a glimpse into another world. Aronson is smart about the stories he tells; at a guess, most of his practice involves smaller, more common animals, but he mixes those stories with the most-of-us-will-only-ever-read-about-them stories of treating Big Five animals.
He also raises the question of ethics -- when should vets, or more generally people, interfere with wild animals? Aronson's answer is effectively that when humans are the cause of the problem, it's right to try to fix it (page 143). Or, as he says, 'In principle, the less one interferes with wildlife, the better' (page 77). I do wish he'd gone into more depth, in part because I'm not sure he actually walks the walk in that respect (the line on 77 follows a description of surgery to fix the congenital eye defect of a lion), but he comes across as realistic about what one can and cannot (and should and should not) do.
I fold down corners when I read -- it's a terrible habit, I suppose, but it works. Bottom corners if I want to copy something down, and top corners if I want to look something up or come back to a concept. This one was full of top corners:
-Rhinoceros horns are made solely of keratin, with no bone (page 27).
-Elephant ears act as cooling devices; as elephants flap their ears, the blood inside is cooled down and then transported throughout the rest of the body (page 92).
-Snakes have ribcages (page 158). I probably should have figured this out on my own, though in my defense it's not something I'd ever given any thought to.
-"Crocodiles have lairs underwater in submerged caves and are thought to store their prey there, allowing the flesh to rot before consuming the meat" (page 179). WHAT.
-Crocodile sex depends on the temperature at which the eggs are incubated (page 184).
I am really not an animal person -- blasphemy, I know -- but I love getting a glimpse into another world. Aronson is smart about the stories he tells; at a guess, most of his practice involves smaller, more common animals, but he mixes those stories with the most-of-us-will-only-ever-read-about-them stories of treating Big Five animals.
He also raises the question of ethics -- when should vets, or more generally people, interfere with wild animals? Aronson's answer is effectively that when humans are the cause of the problem, it's right to try to fix it (page 143). Or, as he says, 'In principle, the less one interferes with wildlife, the better' (page 77). I do wish he'd gone into more depth, in part because I'm not sure he actually walks the walk in that respect (the line on 77 follows a description of surgery to fix the congenital eye defect of a lion), but he comes across as realistic about what one can and cannot (and should and should not) do.
June 5, 2011
Reason for Reading: I enjoy travel books and although I am not an animal activist I enjoy memoirs of vets along the lines of James Herriot and Gerald Durrell. This book simply caught my attention.
Roy Aronson has been a veterinarian in Cape Town, South Africa for twenty-five years and while he sees his fair share of cats and dogs, he's also had some unique African wild animals brought into his office. Plus he has friends who are vets on Wildlife Reserves and they often call him in to assist or simply to have a look-see at an interesting case and thus Aronson has led an eventful life caring for wild animals both clinically and in the bush. Each chapter of this book is a separate vignette and there is also no real chronological progression either making this an easy book to pick up, read a chapter and come back to again later.
While a couple of cases take place in Aronson's practice most of the stories take place out in the African bush on wildlife reserves or the Pretoria Zoo. He also goes out to farms, specifically fish farms, both trout and koi, and an alligator farm. Each chapter was interesting telling tales of elephants, lions, hedgehogs, snakes, rhinos, cheetahs, gemsboks, and many more. Each story usually involves some sort of danger, either to the animal or the animal handlers, so there is a sense of excitement to the reflections along with the author's apparent love for animals of all species. He also spends some brief time, without preaching, on educating against needless slaughter/poaching of animals for inane reasons. For example, rhinos are still killed in the wild for their horns which are sold for tremendous amounts of money to be ground into powder to make teas which supposedly are an aphrodisiac. The author has sampled said tea and can vouch for its ineffectiveness. Through such types of education of the masses, the author feels the slaughter can be stopped.
An interesting read that I really enjoyed. The author's voice was friendly and informative but was lacking an element of humour which I think would have made the book just that bit more enjoyable. He did have a sense of humour, of a sort, but if fell rather flat, leaving funny scenes without the laugh. Overall, though, an entertaining read.
Roy Aronson has been a veterinarian in Cape Town, South Africa for twenty-five years and while he sees his fair share of cats and dogs, he's also had some unique African wild animals brought into his office. Plus he has friends who are vets on Wildlife Reserves and they often call him in to assist or simply to have a look-see at an interesting case and thus Aronson has led an eventful life caring for wild animals both clinically and in the bush. Each chapter of this book is a separate vignette and there is also no real chronological progression either making this an easy book to pick up, read a chapter and come back to again later.
While a couple of cases take place in Aronson's practice most of the stories take place out in the African bush on wildlife reserves or the Pretoria Zoo. He also goes out to farms, specifically fish farms, both trout and koi, and an alligator farm. Each chapter was interesting telling tales of elephants, lions, hedgehogs, snakes, rhinos, cheetahs, gemsboks, and many more. Each story usually involves some sort of danger, either to the animal or the animal handlers, so there is a sense of excitement to the reflections along with the author's apparent love for animals of all species. He also spends some brief time, without preaching, on educating against needless slaughter/poaching of animals for inane reasons. For example, rhinos are still killed in the wild for their horns which are sold for tremendous amounts of money to be ground into powder to make teas which supposedly are an aphrodisiac. The author has sampled said tea and can vouch for its ineffectiveness. Through such types of education of the masses, the author feels the slaughter can be stopped.
An interesting read that I really enjoyed. The author's voice was friendly and informative but was lacking an element of humour which I think would have made the book just that bit more enjoyable. He did have a sense of humour, of a sort, but if fell rather flat, leaving funny scenes without the laugh. Overall, though, an entertaining read.
March 16, 2025
DNF.
After spending six weeks in South Africa, I was keen to start this book. However, I am woefully disappointed. This is a very self-congratulatory book wit dry and repetitive writing.
The part that did my nut, however, was the promotion and glorification of elephant back safaris. I did a lot of research into ethical elephant ecotourism while in SA and I think it's appalling that a vet is condoning this wildly unethical treatment of elephants. To rescue elephants and then sell them to unethical tourist traps is cruel. There are so many organizations that do wonderful work for elephant conservation like The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Thula Thula, Save the Elephants and the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. If you're interested in conservation and the preservation of the elephant population in the natural world, please research ethical ecotourism and support organizations that don't exploit elephants. Ecotourism should always put animals first and never endanger or abuse animals for a profit.
I wholeheartedly do not recommend this book and I think I finally understand why it wasn't available in South African book shops.
After spending six weeks in South Africa, I was keen to start this book. However, I am woefully disappointed. This is a very self-congratulatory book wit dry and repetitive writing.
The part that did my nut, however, was the promotion and glorification of elephant back safaris. I did a lot of research into ethical elephant ecotourism while in SA and I think it's appalling that a vet is condoning this wildly unethical treatment of elephants. To rescue elephants and then sell them to unethical tourist traps is cruel. There are so many organizations that do wonderful work for elephant conservation like The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Thula Thula, Save the Elephants and the Amboseli Trust for Elephants. If you're interested in conservation and the preservation of the elephant population in the natural world, please research ethical ecotourism and support organizations that don't exploit elephants. Ecotourism should always put animals first and never endanger or abuse animals for a profit.
I wholeheartedly do not recommend this book and I think I finally understand why it wasn't available in South African book shops.
December 9, 2011
Has some wonderful and fascinating facts about the animals but mostly is a story of the author bragging about himself and gushing over his colleagues. It seems the book is more focused on who should get credit for the veterinary work done, instead of the actual care for the animals. I'm always wary of someone who toots their own horn. If you have to brag about yourself to get recognition than you must not be very good at your craft. People that are good, their work speaks for itself. A good doctor spends his time caring for patients. A mediocre doctor spends his time on writing books and publicity. I guess those that can't do, write about it.
December 24, 2012
While the stories were very interesting, the whole book felt like the author was patting himself and his colleagues on the back. I in no way underestimate the importance of the work these wildlife vets do, this was just a bit obnoxious. Also, he never failed to remind us that he had a film crew along for most of these stories trying to get a "documentary ". It seemed like he was crying out for fame and that this "documentary " seemed more like a reality show. Again, the stories were very interesting, I just don't have a fondness for this author and his pandering.
March 9, 2016
It was an interesting description of a vet's work in Africa, but that is how it read: like a description. The detailed decisions of which drug to use in a particular case, for instance, seemed to be written more to a fellow vet than a reader wanting to be entertained. I don't think there was one sentence of dialog in the entire book. However, it was indeed an interesting look into the life of an African vet!
August 6, 2012
Loved the stories taking place right where I was last summer!!! Took me back to South Africa!
June 24, 2017
You will hear this a lot in my review, and that is done on purpose: this book was like an advertisement for the hopes of a documentary being worked on by the author. Otherwise I found the book interesting.
Of course, when you write a book like this you are going to pick your most exciting experiences and tell them in a way that emphasizes the story and highlights the adventure. I can't help wondering how much of that was going on here in order to sell the hope of the documentary, but then again what reader wants to read about you putting a little antibiotic cream on a docile animal and sending it on its happy way. Well, maybe I would have liked a little of that balance, but I didn't miss the simple stories like that either, there were plenty of good tales in this book that kept me turning the pages. You expect dramatic vet visits in Africa and this book delivers that almost too perfectly.
It was a great little travel read and I did think it was a good educator without sounding too preachy... Except for the documentary mentions, which seemed about as frequent as I have put them in here. I wasn't sold on that scheme much.
Of course, when you write a book like this you are going to pick your most exciting experiences and tell them in a way that emphasizes the story and highlights the adventure. I can't help wondering how much of that was going on here in order to sell the hope of the documentary, but then again what reader wants to read about you putting a little antibiotic cream on a docile animal and sending it on its happy way. Well, maybe I would have liked a little of that balance, but I didn't miss the simple stories like that either, there were plenty of good tales in this book that kept me turning the pages. You expect dramatic vet visits in Africa and this book delivers that almost too perfectly.
It was a great little travel read and I did think it was a good educator without sounding too preachy... Except for the documentary mentions, which seemed about as frequent as I have put them in here. I wasn't sold on that scheme much.
August 8, 2020
This was... not my favorite of the biographies I've read. Like a lot of veterinary media content the author is willing to show the good AND the bad, but a fair amount seems to be either bad or boring. There are a lot of facts interspersed with story. At least two of the chapters are hearsay (one of them he creates an entire story that literally nobody witnessed, so I'm not sure how he got the information other than educated guess, which is fine but in a book comprised of mostly fact or second-hand information it just seemed odd). I did enjoy learning a bit about the game reserves that he experienced, like the Cheetah Project. I'd give it a 2.5, rounded up to 3 because there really aren't that many books like this around.
April 6, 2025
Enjoyed the stories but found the poor proofreading irritating. When I got to the end of the book it became clear that the author was absolutely determined to recount his life in some sort of publication, and I had the impression that this written format was his last-ditch effort to achieve this. As already stated, competent proofing would have gone a long way to achieving the result he seems to have so desperately wanted!
March 30, 2019
A little slow to begin with but a fascinating account of a veterinarian treating domestic and farm animals, even some wildlife. Each animal he treats is almost a separate story and people in the veterinary field will love all the treatment details he includes. I enjoyed the read, even though it ended rather abruptly.
January 5, 2018
I adore reading books about game rangers and their adventures - reading Roy’s book was both informative in the information he shared and exciting in the way he shares his tales. Anyone with a love of wildlife, should add this to their must-read list.
May 22, 2021
While Aronson isn't going to be winning any awards on the strength of his writing, his experiences as a vet in South Africa were fascinating, and his book would likely be enjoyed by anyone interested in the subject matter.
June 23, 2017
Interesting stories, the writing just didn't captivate me.
March 29, 2020
Wonderful book about a vet in Africa who specializes in elephants. Very informative and entertaining. I loved it.
May 2, 2020
I read this for my book club and I then recommended it for a local middle school reading list. It has been a very popular book in my area.
November 19, 2020
This book helped me learn more about the world. I learned about how wildlife territories in Africa are divided up. It opened my eyes to a place i will probably never get to visit in my lifetime.
October 27, 2022
Wonderful window into this veterinarian's regular vet practice and his wild animal safari vet experiences. Never imagined some of these scenarios. Fascinating.
March 31, 2012
The time was October 19th 2010.
The place was World's Biggest Bookstore in downtown Toronto.
Mr. Turning The Pages had just taken me out to a nice romantic dinner and we were walking down the aisles (of the bookstore) and I saw a book on display that I knew I had to read but unfortunately I had already surpassed my book buying budget for the month and I sadly had to leave the book sitting there. Lonely and calling me back, begging to be taken home with me but it was not to be.
However, the title of this book never left my mind and a few weeks ago I was finally able to put it on hold from the Toronto Public Library. As you already know if it has anything to do with animals or Africa it's pretty much a guarentee that I may want to read it but if it has both than I am most definately going to give it a try.
I was so excited to read it, that I finished it the next day! Roy Aronson wrote the book with passion. You can tell right off the bat that he loves animals and hates to see them suffer. He writes with conviction about the plight certain species are facing like the rhinos who are being poached all for their horns. It's evident that he also harbours a deep respect for all creatures from hamsters, to cobras, to wolf hybrids and seals.
I loved the stories he shared within his book, he certainly has lived an exciting life and he is lucky to have been able to experience the wonders that he has and to have met so many interesting people that like him are involved with animals and their healthcare.
His accounts will strike a cord in you and make you want to head to your nearest zoo, aquarium, lake, ocean or forest just to see the natural world as it is. It will also make you think that things do indeed have to change if we are to ensure the survival of all the creatures great and small. I loved this book! Roy Aronson wrote his book in an easily accessible way so that the young and the old can enjoy what is between it's covers and I can't wait to get my hands on his other book that he has written.
I would recommend this to anyone who has a soft spot for animals. This is also a great read for fans of James Herriot's books on being a yorkshire vet. It will make you really want to thank your vet when you see them, their jobs are hard and often dirty but they do reap the rewards when their animal patients get better but they are also human too and they hate losing a beloved patient to illness or natural causes. It's a must read in my opinion!
The place was World's Biggest Bookstore in downtown Toronto.
Mr. Turning The Pages had just taken me out to a nice romantic dinner and we were walking down the aisles (of the bookstore) and I saw a book on display that I knew I had to read but unfortunately I had already surpassed my book buying budget for the month and I sadly had to leave the book sitting there. Lonely and calling me back, begging to be taken home with me but it was not to be.
However, the title of this book never left my mind and a few weeks ago I was finally able to put it on hold from the Toronto Public Library. As you already know if it has anything to do with animals or Africa it's pretty much a guarentee that I may want to read it but if it has both than I am most definately going to give it a try.
I was so excited to read it, that I finished it the next day! Roy Aronson wrote the book with passion. You can tell right off the bat that he loves animals and hates to see them suffer. He writes with conviction about the plight certain species are facing like the rhinos who are being poached all for their horns. It's evident that he also harbours a deep respect for all creatures from hamsters, to cobras, to wolf hybrids and seals.
I loved the stories he shared within his book, he certainly has lived an exciting life and he is lucky to have been able to experience the wonders that he has and to have met so many interesting people that like him are involved with animals and their healthcare.
His accounts will strike a cord in you and make you want to head to your nearest zoo, aquarium, lake, ocean or forest just to see the natural world as it is. It will also make you think that things do indeed have to change if we are to ensure the survival of all the creatures great and small. I loved this book! Roy Aronson wrote his book in an easily accessible way so that the young and the old can enjoy what is between it's covers and I can't wait to get my hands on his other book that he has written.
I would recommend this to anyone who has a soft spot for animals. This is also a great read for fans of James Herriot's books on being a yorkshire vet. It will make you really want to thank your vet when you see them, their jobs are hard and often dirty but they do reap the rewards when their animal patients get better but they are also human too and they hate losing a beloved patient to illness or natural causes. It's a must read in my opinion!
January 18, 2020
Dr. Aronson is a vet in South Africa. While his practice is in Cape Town, he has had opportunity to travel the country assisting in various cases. This is a compilation of some of those experiences.
Each of the chapters stands alone so it's the sort of book that you don't need to read chronologically, although I did. He kept the technical information to a minimum and let the experiences speak for themselves.
Each of the chapters stands alone so it's the sort of book that you don't need to read chronologically, although I did. He kept the technical information to a minimum and let the experiences speak for themselves.
September 22, 2011
Tales of an African Vet is a fascinating series of vignettes from the life of author Roy Aronson. The stories follow his real life experiences as a veterinarian in South Africa and his patients range from elephants and lions in the wild to snakes and squirrel monkeys brought into a clinic for treatment.
Dr. Aronson shows a depth of passion for his work and for all the animals he treats that reveals a sense of compassion as great as his intelligence. The book is amazing for it's details of science and medicine - and the logistics behind treating incredibly large and dangerous wild animals - as well as the knowledge and interesting facts about the variety of animals encountered (from rhinos to alligators to hedgehogs to koi).
The book was well written and the format of stories rather than a single narrative provides a sweeping coverage of the grand scale of Dr. Aronson's work. This is a great book for anyone interested in African animals, exotic veterinary medicine, or just a great biography of a man with an extraordinary job.
Dr. Aronson shows a depth of passion for his work and for all the animals he treats that reveals a sense of compassion as great as his intelligence. The book is amazing for it's details of science and medicine - and the logistics behind treating incredibly large and dangerous wild animals - as well as the knowledge and interesting facts about the variety of animals encountered (from rhinos to alligators to hedgehogs to koi).
The book was well written and the format of stories rather than a single narrative provides a sweeping coverage of the grand scale of Dr. Aronson's work. This is a great book for anyone interested in African animals, exotic veterinary medicine, or just a great biography of a man with an extraordinary job.
May 22, 2011
Tales of an African Vet by Roy Aronson takes you with this South African veterinarian as he treats exotic animals such as a little squirrel monkey, a lion, and a baby elephant. The squirrel monkey that Dr. Aronson thought was doomed makes a miraculous recovery. The baby elephant, stuck in the mud, and abandoned by his mother and aunties is pulled out in the nick of time and saved; he goes on to be one of the elephants at the wildlife refuge that gives rides to visitors touring the refuge. Dr. Aronson gets a surprise when he is sitting alone in the back of a truck with a lion who had been given anesthesia, and everyone felt was down for the count, but the lion suddenly lifts his head and roars- luckily he then drops his head and goes back to sleep.
Lots of interesting adventures in these tales, but lacking the charm and delight of James Herriot’s books.
Lots of interesting adventures in these tales, but lacking the charm and delight of James Herriot’s books.
June 7, 2011
This "mini Memoir" takes place in South Africa. Not only does Dr. Roy Aronson have a successful veterinary practice, but he also has had multiple opportunities to take part in expeditions in the bush to surgically treat wild animals. Animals covered in this book range from the Cape cobra to lions, and elephants. You will surprisingly learn that crocodiles are a lot like humans, "They live to between seventy to eighty years of age. They are small and relatively helpless at birth. They undergo puberty at between ten and thirteen years of age. They grow longer until they reach the age of about eighteen or twenty, when they hit their breeding prime...They become old and cranky from their midforties on" (177).
July 2, 2011
"When your pet dog or cat needs surgery, you take it to your vet's operating room. When an African lion needs surgery, you bring the operating room to the bush."
And so describes each delightful chapter in this collection of a vetrinarian's twenty-five years of serving African wildlife. Adventures vary and included helping an injured seal off the Cape, rescuing an injured baby rhino from a hungry pack of hyenas, to even performing x-rays on a paralyzed Cape cobra. His job was (and continues to be, as he is still a practicing vet) never boring. I even learned a thing or too about the individual personalities of Koi and that crocodiles can grow seven feet in WIDTH. Yowza.
And so describes each delightful chapter in this collection of a vetrinarian's twenty-five years of serving African wildlife. Adventures vary and included helping an injured seal off the Cape, rescuing an injured baby rhino from a hungry pack of hyenas, to even performing x-rays on a paralyzed Cape cobra. His job was (and continues to be, as he is still a practicing vet) never boring. I even learned a thing or too about the individual personalities of Koi and that crocodiles can grow seven feet in WIDTH. Yowza.
March 14, 2013
Roy Aronson is a vet working in South Africa, primarily with wild animals that live on private game reserves. He has been called in on cases as varied as performing eye surgery on a lion--in the bush, not in a sterile surgical theater--to "collaring" a mischievous young elephant with hopes that as it's movements could be tracked through a transmitter, it could be trained not to cause quite so much trouble. I found the book to be extremely well written, and Dr. Aronson's deep love for wild animals and the beauty of Africa is apparent throughout. Simply put, it's the kind of book that makes you want to go there :)
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November 8, 2018Fascinating. Dr. Aronson's descriptions were so vivid that I often felt I was standing beside or behind him. It isn't every day that we learn how to treat lion and tigers, cobra, and crocodiles (among others). Readers who love animals and see themselves in field work will thoroughly enjoy Dr. Aronson's biography.
There's more to our review. Visit the the Reading Tub to see why we recommend this book. You can add your review, too.
There's more to our review. Visit the the Reading Tub to see why we recommend this book. You can add your review, too.
October 29, 2014
A fascinating true account by a veterinarian who, while treating domestic and farm animals for a living, makes frequent forays into the treatment of the great majority of South Africa's wild life including lions, elephants, crocodiles and even snakes to name but a few.
Working largely in the prime wildlife area around Hoedspruit and the western boundary of the Kruger Park, Roy Aronson's book is sure to delight wildlife aficionados the world over.
Working largely in the prime wildlife area around Hoedspruit and the western boundary of the Kruger Park, Roy Aronson's book is sure to delight wildlife aficionados the world over.
August 29, 2011
This may sound harsh, but I hope Roy Aronson is a better vet than he is an author! This book tells stories with the most minute details, and it makes the reader think that the author is building up into a big, climatic story. But no -- he is just relating the mundane details that have nothing to do with the story he is telling. The writing is hard to get through, but the stories themselves are interesting and I did enjoy reading about working with the animals in Africa.
August 11, 2011
This book is a delightful collection of short stories. The author, Dr. Aronson, has way of writing a story that makes you feel like your are there in the room with him. He fully explains the medical treatments in a way that you understand everything he's doing. Dr. Aronson tells stories from the domestic to the wild animals of Africa. If you have a chance pick this book up and read it. It's really an enjoyable book.
March 19, 2014
Aronson is a vet who makes his home in Cape Town. The vignettes in this book describe his adventures treating various wild creatures in South Africa and neighboring areas. The animal accounts are captivating, of course, as are the descriptions of the veterinary treatments. The writing is pedestrian and at times I got a bit tired of the author referring to his television show. Okay, but not a competitor to James Herriot.
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