Called By The Wild: The Dogs Trained to Protect Wildlife
About this ebook
Conraad de Rosner is one of the first game rangers to focus on working with specially trained dogs to protect wildlife from poachers – both 'bushmeat' poachers, who use cruel snares to trap animals, and criminal syndicates killing for rhinoceros horn and capturing critically endangered pangolins, the most trafficked animal in the world.
Con's life – constantly at risk from poachers, wildlife and even his own fellow rangers – has been saved on numerous occasions by his devoted canine companions. His first dog, Zingela, a Weimaraner, saved Con from near certain death at the hands of two fellow rangers; on another occasion, Zingela alerted Con to a concealed wounded buffalo, one of Africa's most dangerous animals, about to charge.
When Zingela was tragically killed, hit by a car while Con was away, the only meagre consolation was that Con had kept Landa, one of the nine puppies sired by Zingela. Landa followed in his father's footsteps as the leader of the canine anti-poaching team that is still operating today. Con's story is an epic of modern-day African wildlife conservation, filled with courage, adventure and romance.
About the author
CONRAAD DE ROSNER was born and schooled in Gqeberha, then Port Elizabeth. He studied nature conservation before starting work, in 1993, at Windy Ridge Game Park in KwaZulu-Natal. In 2009, he was appointed assistant anti-poaching manager at Sabi-Sands game reserve. In 2011, he formed his company, K9 Conservation, at Thanda Game Reserve. In 2015, he moved to his base training farm in Hoedspruit, where for the past six years and more, he has developed and expanded his training of rangers and dogs.
Born in Africa, GRAHAM SPENCE was a journalist for twenty-five years during South Africa’s turbulent apartheid era. He has written several books on Africa, including the global bestseller The Elephant Whisperer which he co-authored with the ‘Indiana Jones of conservation’ Lawrence Anthony, as well as Saving the Last Rhinos and Rewilding Africa with environmentalist Grant Fowlds. He currently lives with his family in England.
ELAINE BELL has had a love for the bushveld of Africa all her life, a passion engendered by her father from early childhood. Retired, she now lives in the beautiful Midlands of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Her daughter and family live in New Zealand. Her youngest son Jayson is in the international film industry, and Conraad will always have his roots in Africa.
