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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
Truly excellent. A must-have for fans of big cats., 3 Nov 2000
By A Customer
In "A Time with Leopards," wildlife filmmaker Dale Hancock tells of his experiences filming a documentary titled "Beauty and the Beasts" with fellow filmmaker Kim Wolhuter. The documentary, shot in the Mala Mala reserve in South Africa, provides an in-depth look at the lives of a leopard family ("Beauty") and a warthog family (the "Beasts").Mr Hancock's book features amazing photographs of not only leopards and warthogs, but numerous other African animals as well, taken by both amateur and professional photographers. The photographs are some of the best I've seen and are, by themselves, reason enough to own this book. In addition to the photographs, however, Mr Hancock gives the reader a priceless glimpse into the everyday lives of African wildlife - particulary those of Tjellers, a female leopard, and her cubs. There is quite a bit of general information about leopards out there, but learning about Tjellers as an individual and coming to understand her personality, the role she plays in her ecosystem, and what she has to do to survive provided me with a greater understanding of leopards than anything else I've ever read. Mr Hancock does not merely provide scientific data; his stories come from two years spent constantly observing Tjellers and getting to know her. There are not very many people in the world who can provide such an insight into the way leopards live. Although the leopards are the main focus of the book, there is also an abundance of fascinating stories about other wildlife, such as warthogs, hyenas, and lions. As icing on the cake, "A Time with Leopards" gives the reader a behind-the-scenes look at filming a wildlife documentary, telling a bit about the long hours and sometimes perilous situations that go hand-in-hand with producing a top-quality film. This book should not be missed by anyone who loves leopards, is interested in African wildlife, or is curious about what goes into making wildlife documentaries.
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