Into Africa

Field biologist Packer has been studying the primates at Gombe (Jane Goodall's territory) and the lions of the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater for more than 20 years. Into Africa is a present-tense daily diary of his 1991 trip to his old and present haunts. In it, he manages to describe an entire career of accomplishments and disappointments.From the fatigue of long airline flights to the frustration of searching for lion worm medicine in third world pharmacies, or losing a day's water samples to an especially deep rut in the road, Packer exemplifies the dedication of scientists who brave the hardships and precarious politics of the third world to study Africa's great animals.Introducing new research assistants to lion watching, Packer recalls his own early days - the long hours of boredom (lions mostly sleep) punctuated by moments of excitement and discovery. He leads us through the trials and errors of collecting parasite data and explains how research thus far has revealed why lions live in groups and why the wealthiest of lions - those in the food-rich Ngorongo Crater - suffer from inbreeding, much like the old royal families of Europe.While describing the social lives and eating habits of lions, Packer invites us into every aspect of the researcher's life, including internal squabbles, money problems, dangerous night flights and vehicle breakdowns.Then it's time for him to move on to Gombe, "the unhealthiest place in the world," which he approaches with a mixture of dread and anticipation. We soon learn that it's not only the hot, damp, parasite-rich environment that haunts his memories, but the kidnapping of four students during the 70's, a fate narrowly escaped by Packer and his wife who left Gombe to be de-wormed elsewhere.While describing the exciting discoveries made at Gombe from its earliest days, he also recalls the fate of a researcher who died in a fall and remembers the treacheries and heroisms of some of the African workers. And then he drinks some water. The next entries are a haze of illness, fear and, pushed by time constraints, work.The diary ends with a conference of scientists pooling their data to try and decide how to best use the resources of the Serengeti National Park. So much knowledge coming together serves to show how much still has to be learned and how every change in the ecosystem affects every other aspect - land, animals, people.The diary format suits Packer. The immediacy is exciting and allows the reader to see the day-to-day work, hampered and occasionally aided, by serendipity and disaster. Packer is so well-organized that this close-up view never detracts from the big picture.

This book was recommended by another client on a recent safari trip to Tanzania. Her description of the author's unsentimental descriptions of the challenges involved in collecting and transporting various 'samples' intrigued me. I really enjoyed the book--particularly the sections on lions in the Serengeti and Ngorongoro Crater. The blurb on the back cover which comments that the book may be the best antidote to 'Out of Africa' hit the nail on the head.I thoroughly enjoyed Packer's descriptions of time spent in the field, observing and tracking lions. He also does a good job contrasting his everyday life in Minnesota with life in the Serengeti and Gombe Parks. If you're interested in a 'real' picture of a researcher's life in the field, lions or baboons, or descriptions of the Serengeti, you won't be disappointed.

"Into Africa" is a detailed and interesting account of wildlife research in two national parks in Eastern Africa (lions in Serengeti and chimpanzees in Gombe). Packer writes what most readers would expect to see in such a book (i.e., about animal behavior and scientific theories that try to explain it), but he also tells us about the day-to-day life of a wildlife biologist working in Africa (budgeting, traveling, provisioning, working with local and international staff, and avoiding both animal and human danger).

Wow! This well-written book covers, in narrative style, with humor, a recent 52-day field research expedition by the author to the Tanzanian Serengeti and Ngorogoro Crater to study lions, and to Gombe (of Goodall fame) to study chimps and baboons. In frequent flashbacks he reviews his past field expeditions and what they discovered -- new theories about why lions, chimps and baboons form the type of social structures they do. He also covers the struggles and hopes of the wildlife parks, and the difficulty of trying to reconcile the needs, wants, and contributions of: the researchers, the people living in the area, the government, the tourists, the poachers, and the foreign hunters -- all on the limited funds available. He throws in a lot of information on the species he studies, and builds this information into a theory about how all species -- perhaps even man -- are motivated to either cooperate or compete with each other. Packer also includes his commentaries and anecdotes about his fellow researchers, camp employees, local residents, local and national government officials, and the history of the area. Packer does an especially thorough job of analyzing how the species' survival is affected by men, disease, inbreeding, other species, and their own species' behavior patterns. The liner notes include recommendations of this book from the renowned George Schaller and Cynthia Moss. The reviews here by Booklist and Kirkus are accurate. That said, I do have some minor quibbles with the book. There is no index, and the table of contents is only chronological according to the "diary" format of the book. If the reader wants to review the material -- however excellent -- on lion infanticide or chimpanzee wars, the reader has to leaf through the entire book to find it. Likewise, there is no list of suggested further reading or sources, and no glossary. While Packer does define the Swahili terms he uses, he does so ONCE, in text. When one reads that "Tony Sinclair is the real mzee" on page 244, one has to remember the definition from page 52 [mzee is literally "old man" -- a term of honor and respect]. Packard also seems to dwell on the negative and random man-on-man violence -- for instance, a lengthy report on the 1975 kidnapping of four researchers from Gombe by Zairian rebels, camp thieves, and assaults on tourists. Grouping these incidents occurring over 20 years in one narrative makes them seem more pervasive than they are. This is an EXCELLENT book for anyone interested in African wildlife or animal behavior in general.