Sign-In
Cart
My Life with Leopards: A zoological memoir filled with love, loss and heartbreak
Paperback
Biographies GeneralEnvironmental StudiesOther Animals
ISBN13: 9781839013584
Publisher: Lume Books
Published: May 12 2022
Pages: 230
Weight: 0.50
Height: 0.52 Width: 5.06 Depth: 7.81
Language: English
'No other book I know takes you so deeply into the secret world of the leopard' - Brian Jackman, safari writer
In 1993, game ranger Graham Cooke had the opportunity to parent two six-week-old leopard cubs. Establishing himself and his charges in a small, tented camp in the South African bush, Graham set about his task of habituating the cubs to the dangers of the wild, in preparation for their eventual release.
But first he had to gain the young leopards' trust. Boycat, the slightly bigger male cub, proved to be an easy-going character, and after initial reservations he soon settled in. However, his sister, Poepface, was less easily swayed. Her complex character and strong reservations persisted, despite Graham's efforts to win her trust. Eventually, Poepface relented, and so began a love story; a powerful bond.
When, a year later, Graham prepared the cubs for their release into the remote South Luangwa Valley, he knew it was the beginning of the end. Joining the cubs on daily walks to familiarise them with their new home, Graham knew that soon it would be time to let go.
Set in both in the bushveld of South Africa and the wilderness that is the South Luangwa Valley, My Life with Leopards is a story interwoven with love, loss, danger and heartbreak.
Praise for My Life with Leopards:'Set in the spectacular wilderness of the South African lowveld and later in Zambia's Luangwa Valley - both vividly portrayed - this is as poignant a tale of unrequited love as you are ever likely to read. And, like the best animal stories, it tugs at the heartstrings without ever descending into anthropomorphism' - BBC Wildlife Magazine
'This compelling story is a 'must-read' for anyone who loves nature and the challenges of helping two young leopards get back to their wild world. Well-written, entertaining and emotional; to be enjoyed' - Richard Leakey
'I found myself turning the pages wanting to know what was coming next, and I admit at times getting choked up and teary eyed. Having been fortunate enough to have visited the South Luangwa Valley, many years after this story takes place, I wondered if any of the Leopards I saw there were the descendants of Graham's Poepface' - Purr and Roar Online Review
If sometimes you feel as though you want to run off and work in the bush and escape urban life this book is a great compromise. The beautifully written moments of these little leopards' lives are detailed to make one feel as though you are in the camp with them, walking along a thorny path of Londolozi' s bushveld - Life In Balance Magazine
Fransje van Riel was born in The Netherlands and lived there and in the UK before settling in South Africa. Now living in Cape Town, she supports several animal-related projects, and her other books include Life with Darwin - and Other Baboons. My Life with Leopards is her third book.
Also in
Biographies General
Bluesland: Portraits of Thirteen Major American Blues Masters
Toby Byron (ED.)
Pete Welding (ED.)
Hardcover
Karl Popper - The Formative Years, 1902 1945: Politics and Philosophy in Interwar Vienna
Hacohen, Malachi Haim
Hardcover
The Children of Athena: Greek Intellectuals in the Age of Rome: 150 Bc0-400 AD
Freeman, Charles
Hardcover
Make It a Double: From Wretched to Wondrous: Tales of One Woman's Lifelong Discovery of Whisky
Sackier, Shelley
Hardcover
The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing, and the Future of the Human Race
Isaacson, Walter
Hardcover
An Enemy Such as This: Larry Casuse and the Fight for Native Liberation in One Family on Two Continents Over Three Centuries
Correia, David
Hardcover
Agents of Chaos: Thomas King Forçade, High Times, and the Paranoid End of the 1970s
Howe, Sean
Hardcover
The Secret Life of the Savoy: Glamour and Intrigue at the World's Most Famous Hotel
Williams, Olivia
Paperback
The Badger: The Life of Bernard Hinault and the Legacy of French Cycling
Fotheringham, William
Paperback
The Devil's Diary: Alfred Rosenberg and the Stolen Secrets of the Third Reich
Wittman, Robert K.
Kinney, David
Paperback
Florence Kelley and the Nation's Work: The Rise of Womens Political Culture, 1830-1900
Sklar, Kathryn Kish
Paperback
The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn: Family Politics at the Court of Henry VIII
Warnicke, Retha M.
Paperback
A Woman of No Importance: The Untold Story of the American Spy Who Helped Win World War II
Purnell, Sonia
Hardcover
Living with a Wild God: A Nonbeliever's Search for the Truth about Everything
Ehrenreich, Barbara
Paperback
Seafaring Women: Adventures of Pirate Queens, Female Stowaways, and Sailors' Wives
Cordingly, David
Paperback
The Butcher, the Embezzler, and the Fall Guy: A Family Memoir of Scandal and Greed in the Meat Industry
Cherington, Gretchen
Paperback
Gift of Power: The Life and Teachings of a Lakota Medicine Man
Erdoes, Richard
Lame Deer, Chief Archie Fire
Paperback
My Own Devices: True Stories from the Road on Music, Science, and Senseless Love
Dessa Wander
Hardcover
Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice
Giuffre, Virginia Roberts
Hardcover
How to Be Okay When Nothing Is Okay: Tips and Tricks That Kept Me Alive, Happy, and Creative in Spite of Myself
Lawson, Jenny
Hardcover
Family of Spies: A World War II Story of Nazi Espionage, Betrayal, and the Secret History Behind Pearl Harbor
Kuehn, Christine
Hardcover
Dangerous, Dirty, Violent, and Young: A Fugitive Family in the Revolutionary Underground
Dohrn, Zayd Ayers
Hardcover
A Walk in the Park: The True Story of a Spectacular Misadventure in the Grand Canyon
Fedarko, Kevin
Paperback
Catch the Devil: A True Story of Murder, Deception, and Injustice on the Gulf Coast
Colloff, Pamela
Hardcover
Through Mom's Eyes: Simple Wisdom from Mothers Who Raised Extraordinary Humans
Jones, Sheinelle
Hardcover