Open this book and step into the East African bush. Climb into our Land Rover and head for adventure! Take a lion-mauled warrior to hospital. Search for singing stones and hidden treasure. Explore central Tanzania’s rock paintings with Dr Mary Leakey and Hadza hunters. Go on safari to Serengeti and Ngorongoro. Battle with bureaucracy in Dar es Salaam. Capsize on Lake Eyasi. Witness the funeral rites of a chief, and the terrible fate of a thief. In Spirited Oasis, we described how we settled in a remote region of Tanzania. This sequel is about dramatic events in our village and journeys of discovery beyond.

Dennis Herlocker traveled to Tanganyika as a Peace Corps volunteer expecting to work in a village resettlement program. Instead, he became a forester in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, which includes the world-famous Ngorongoro Crater and the eastern Serengeti Plains. He spent the next three years working in one of the most spectacular and interesting places in the world. It was a wonderful place of dramatic landscapes, milling herds of migratory herbivores, and Maasai pastoralists who lived much as they had hundreds of years ago. Dennis had close (and sometimes scary) encounters with wildlife. His colleagues were an intriguing mix of national and ethnic groups. He fell in love and married. It was the most enjoyable time of his life. Come along on the adventure of a lifetime and discover the beauty and excitement of an Africa that can only be discovered by living amongst her people and places.

Despite their low species density, hyenas are both unique and vital components of most African and some Asian ecosystems. Although there are only 4 species, they tend to clash with the interests of humans to a greater extent than many other mammals and one of the biggest obstacles facing those committed to the conservation of this species is the negative feelings that many people have towards hyenas. This action plan sets out to address some of the problems facing this species of animal, particularly the issue of public perception and awareness, and provides guidelines to rectify this situation.