Daren
In 1967 Welshman Clive Nichol was employed by the Imperial Ethiopian Government as a Game Warden, to establish the newly planned Simien National Park. The phrase 'newly planned' is important in the context of his two years from October 1967 to October 1969. The planned National Park passed into law only after Nichol had resigned and left, but that is the end of the book, and I have jumped ahead.
Ethiopia was late to the National Park party - the last country below the Sahara to establish them. The primary reason the Semien National Park was formed was to protect the Walia ibex (Capra walie)and its habitat. Walia exist only in the Semien area, and at the time Nichol arrived were under significant threat from habitat loss due to the farmers in the area cutting down and burning trees to attempt to gain arable land. Added to this is the poaching of Walia, and also the Simien Fox (also called Ethiopian wolf, Canis simensis), as well as the general corruption in Ethiopia, Nichol had plenty to deal with.
Nichol writes an honest account of his time and dealings with people, his joys and challenges. He shares a lot of his troubles, his thoughts, his frustrations. He seems an interesting character, and before his appointment in Ethiopia, Nichol was working in Canada above the Arctic Circle researching ducks. His wife is Japanese - he and their two children join Nichol in Ethiopia, but only once he has built a house for them to live in - they also leave when one of their children falls sick and the reality of the isolation in which they live becomes apparent. Nichol is also trained in karate and maintains a high level of fitness. On occasion Nichol did come across as lacking a bit of the self control that is supposed to be a part of being highly trained in Karate.
There was plenty to like about this book, although it stopped a little short of 5 stars for me due to some repetition (although to be fair many of the problems he was dealing with were repetitive and frustrating, so it isn't such a surprise this came through in the book).
4.5 stars.
Post script - I was initially pleased to see when I looked at Wikipedia to see images of the Walia ibex that it had not gone extinct since the book was written, but had in fact stablised (status vulnerable). Nichol considered there could have been as few as 150 Walia left when he was in the park. I see that Wikipedia has a figure of 200 to 250 at its lowest point (1990s), but is non-committal about current numbers. Another source suggests they reached 800 in 2015, but has since declined to 300. I suppose I celebrate the fact the Walia is not yet extinct, but I have limited faith in humans in these situations.
In 1967 Welshman Clive Nichol was employed by the Imperial Ethiopian Government as a Game Warden, to establish the newly planned Simien National Park. The phrase 'newly planned' is important in the context of his two years from October 1967 to October 1969. The planned National Park passed into law only after Nichol had resigned and left, but that is the end of the book, and I have jumped ahead.
Ethiopia was late to the National Park party - the last country below the Sahara to establish them. The primary reason the Semien National Park was formed was to protect the Walia ibex (Capra walie)and its habitat. Walia exist only in the Semien area, and at the time Nichol arrived were under significant threat from habitat loss due to the farmers in the area cutting down and burning trees to attempt to gain arable land. Added to this is the poaching of Walia, and also the Simien Fox (also called Ethiopian wolf, Canis simensis), as well as the general corruption in Ethiopia, Nichol had plenty to deal with.
Nichol writes an honest account of his time and dealings with people, his joys and challenges. He shares a lot of his troubles, his thoughts, his frustrations. He seems an interesting character, and before his appointment in Ethiopia, Nichol was working in Canada above the Arctic Circle researching ducks. His wife is Japanese - he and their two children join Nichol in Ethiopia, but only once he has built a house for them to live in - they also leave when one of their children falls sick and the reality of the isolation in which they live becomes apparent. Nichol is also trained in karate and maintains a high level of fitness. On occasion Nichol did come across as lacking a bit of the self control that is supposed to be a part of being highly trained in Karate.
There was plenty to like about this book, although it stopped a little short of 5 stars for me due to some repetition (although to be fair many of the problems he was dealing with were repetitive and frustrating, so it isn't such a surprise this came through in the book).
4.5 stars.
Post script - I was initially pleased to see when I looked at Wikipedia to see images of the Walia ibex that it had not gone extinct since the book was written, but had in fact stablised (status vulnerable). Nichol considered there could have been as few as 150 Walia left when he was in the park. I see that Wikipedia has a figure of 200 to 250 at its lowest point (1990s), but is non-committal about current numbers. Another source suggests they reached 800 in 2015, but has since declined to 300. I suppose I celebrate the fact the Walia is not yet extinct, but I have limited faith in humans in these situations.