ROOTS OF A GAME RANGER

BY GRAHAM ROOT

This story covers the first 38 years of a country boy’s life, dealing briefly with his childhood in the Natal Drakensberg, and his initial experiences in these Drakensberg mountains, then not dwelling too much on school or army days but on time spent working on the Natal Parks Board’s Game Reserves.

The story is more of the human element, rather than on animals.
It is a true tale of actual happenings experienced by the Author and his game ranger companions in the organization.

There is humour and danger on nearly every page, with photos of the people involved taken at that time. There are also photos and pencil sketches of places and happenings.

The book includes incidents during rhino capture in the company of Ian Player, Nick Steele, Ken Rochat, John Tinley, John Clarke and others.
Other stories are about hunting lion through bushveld, and even through sugar cane, anti poaching patrols, confrontation with black rhino and buffalo, and experiences on game capture with Jan Oelofse while using horses before helicopters were available. Tells a tale of crocodile capture, and transportation by Super Frelon helicopters to the last fresh water remaining on eastern shores.

Many anecdotes are written about Ithala Game Reserve during its first years, into becoming a major game reserve in Kwazulu Natal. Pioneering the Pongola River, on rafts and canoes, investigating caves where nobody had ever been.

It also includes the Author’s account of taking rhino to Holland by ship and the difficulties of feeding and watering them on violent seas, and the terrors of being confined.

Freedom, fresh air and fun are the ingredients of an easy read, written in a unique style and called “ Roots of a Game Ranger”.

The book is written about things that will never happen again, not because the people are gone, but because of what is called progress……