Zoo Biology 16:93-94 (1997)

BOOK REVIEW

An Intimate Look at East Africa’s Ubiquitous Gazelles A review of ln the Country of Gaze//es, by Fritz R. Walther. Indiana, Indiana University Press, 1995, 176 pp., $24.95, cloth.

Even an antelope enthusiast (the expression is not an oxymoron) is rarely excited by the common African gazelles, the Tommies and the Grant’s, either in captivity or in nature. In our captive collections they lack the conservation priority of their North African and Middle Eastern counterparts, and the fortunate among us who experience the Serengeti firsthand quickly become inured to the presence of the ubiquitous Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles. Fritz Walther’s In the Country of Ga- zelles tells the story of his early studies of the gazelles of the Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, and describes many of the behaviors that Dr. Walther, among the first to study them in the wild, documented in earlier papers and his previous book, Gazelles and Their Relatives. Most of these behaviors are now known to be expressed to differing degrees by most gazelle species (as well as other antelopes). The story is interesting, as most naturalists’ adventure stories are, but most importantly it reminds us of what we have learned about the natural world from even the most common species and how we have applied this knowledge to the management of captive wildlife. Whether we realize the source or not, most of us have applied what we have learned from Dr. Walther’s studies, particularly about male behavior and social interactions, to the management of gazelles in captivity.

The book opens by describing the conditions of Dr. Walther’s early experiences in the Serengeti National Park, and the description of his study site makes the reader who has been to Tanzania acutely aware of the increasing human presence in the national parks of East Africa. The Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles that Walther spent so many hours observing and learning from are still present in large numbers in Tanzania, though the places they inhabit have become more crisscrossed with roads and vehicle trails since the days of Walther’s project in the late 1960s.

The book covers most aspects of the behavior and ecology of the gazelles of East Africa while telling a story about the experiences of a field ethologist. The chapters are titled by the individual names of gazelles that were subjects, by different areas, and by topic, but essentially each chapter covers a different aspect of the behavior and ecology of Thomson’s gazelle and Grant’s gazelle, and the final chapter is even devoted to fringe-eared oryx behavior. Much of the book focuses on a few specific individuals that were easily identifiable in the field (Walther gives his opinion

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on marking animals in the field, which he was hesitant to do), and his descriptions of his encounters with his identifiable subjects (all males) provide the most interesting parts of the book.

As a field researcher, Walther often spent days at a time in his vehicle and became more than an observer in the lives of the animals he studied. He doesn’t hedge when describing his involvement in foiling the hunting attempts of cheetahs on an individual gazelle who had become very important to his work because it was so habituated to his vehicle that he could approach and follow it at very close range. He frankly admits that he “interfered” with nature and that his subjective attachment to this individual was a factor in his actions, but he argues also that the value of the habituated individual to his study was great. Never having done field research, I can only suspect that this is a common position of researchers in the field, and, while the empiricists among us may disagree, I would be hesitant to criticize Walther for his actions.

Great attention to detail is provided when describing the behavioral sequences of courtship and fighting and when describing how the two species differ in the expression of these behaviors. Almost too much detail is provided, however, in describing some of these behavioral sequences, particularly when emphasizing the differences in the behavior of Thomson’s and Grant’s gazelles, which often differ only in the degree to which behaviors or movements are exhibited. This does not detract greatly from the book and may not be considered an issue by some readers but made the reading somewhat cumbersome in places.

The strongest criticism of the book is that the organization of the chapters seems somewhat arbitrary, and the inclusion of the story about the male fringe-eared oryx as the final chapter ends the book rather abruptly. After an interesting, information- filled narrative like this, a more substantial summary and closing would have been appreciated.

The book is enjoyable reading, however, and should be enjoyed for what it is, the fond retelling of days and nights spent on the Serengeti plains and the animal characters that were encountered and experienced. As such, it is interesting and insightful reading for any naturalist and should be required reading for anyone plan- ning a trip to East Africa. The visitor’s experience on the Serengeti plains will be greatly enhanced if even a little of what Fritz Walther knows about gazelles is absorbed.

Scott Carter Detroit Zoological Institute Royal Oak, MI