The growth of the wildlife industry in South Africa can be measured by the growth in the number of wildlife ranches. In 1965 there were only four wildlife-fenced properties in the former north-western Transvaal. By 2005, 40 years later, there were more than 10,000 properties with wildlife exemption permits in the nine provinces combined. As the wildlife industry continues to expand, so too does the need for scientific knowledge upon which it must be based.
This sixth edition of Game Ranch Management is written by 39 experts in various fields and edited by two experienced wildlife ecologists, managers and veterinarians. It is as complete a guide as possible for wildlife ranchers in South Africa. All the chapters have been revised and updated, with extensive new information on information systems and data management; economics of the wildlife industry in South Africa; bacterial, viral and protozoal diseases of wildlife; buying and selling wild animals; hunting, keeping and managing large terrestrial carnivores; trophy hunting; meat production; veld management, and habitat rehabilitation.
Completely new chapters or subchapters include the following:
- Marketing
- Genetic management
- Medical assistance in the field
- Ecto- and endoparasites
- The management of internal parasites
- Capturing wild animals actively
- Falconry
- Legislation and codes of conduct
Game Ranch Management is designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students doing degrees or modules in wildlife management and ranching at training institutions across southern Africa. It is also a guide for current and future owners of extensive wildlife production units.
PART I: GENERAL GUIDELINES
1 Important ecological principles and conservancies
2 Objectives
3 Ecological monitoring and benchmarking
4 Geomorphology and climate of South Africa
5 Vegetation of South Africa
PART II: WILDLIFE RANCH PLANNING
6 Wildlife ranch acquisition and cattle ranch transformation
7 Information systems and data management
8 Economics
9 Habitat evaluation
10 Fences
11 Water
12 Roads
13 Airstrips
14 Ground vehicles and aircraft
15 Buildings and camping amenities
16 Hides, lookout towers and vulture restaurants
17 Bomas and holding pens
PART III: ANIMALS AND THEIR CHARACTERISTICS
18 Antelope and other smaller herbivores
19 Large herbivores
20 Combining wild and domesticated herbivores
21 Carnivores
22 Birds
23 Nutrition
24 Animal behaviour
25 Genetic principles and tools for wildlife management
PART IV: WILDLIFE AND FIELD HEALTH
26 Bacterial, viral and protozoal diseases of wildlife
27 Medical assistance in the field
28 Post-mortem examination of wildlife
29 Preventative disease management and epidemiology in wildlife
30 The parasites of wildlife
PART V: ANIMAL MANAGEMENT AND UTILIZATION
31 The counting and censusing of wild animals
32 Harvesting wild animals
33 Capturing wild animals
34 Transporting wild animals
35 Keeping and feeding wild animals in captivity
36 Buying and selling wild animals
37 Hunting
38 Handling and measuring trophies
39 Meat production
40 Legislation and codes of conduct
PART VI: HABITAT MANAGEMENT
41 Veld management
42 The coastal and near-coastal parts of the southern Cape
43 Habitat rehabilitation
PART VII: WILDLIFE RANCHING AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT
44 The role of African rural people in their environment
45 The sustainable use of renewable natural resources
46 Rural development and the wildlife rancher