Kalahari Desert, Botswana
Cry of the Kalahari, by Mark James Owens and Cordelia Dykes Owens (New York : Mariner Books, reissue 1992)
Winner of the 1985 John Burroughs Medal, Cry of the Kalahari describes zoologists Mark and Delia Owens’ life in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. For seven years, beginning in 1974, the Owens lived in this roadless and waterless area of the Kalahari Desert. Here they studied the wildlife, particularly brown hyenas and black maned lions, that drew them to Botswana, while also confronting dangers from “drought, fire, violent storms, and even from the animals they loved.” A bestseller when published, Cry of the Kalahari continues to transport readers into this “vast wilderness.”
Related Websites
Owens Foundation for Wildlife Conservation
“It is an interesting blend of cultures, but nothing happens very fast in Gaborone, and for two months after our arrival in Botswana we were stuck there. Day after day we walked from one isolated government department to another, trying to arrange residence and research permits and meeting with people who might know something about a suitable study site. We were determined to find a place – one far from fences – where the behavior of predators had not been affected by human settlements.” – from Cry of the Kalahari, by Mark James Owens and Cordelia Dykes Owens
