BOOK REVIEW: How war and poor leaders have killed off Angola’s wildlife parks
Author Brian Huntley’s new book claims the environment minister prefers a ‘zoo’ approach, writes Tony Carnie
Wildlife at War in Angola: The Rise and Fall of an African Eden Brian Huntley Protea Book House Young and newly married, ecologist Brian Huntley emigrated from SA to Angola in the early 1970s, hoping to protect that country’s 6-million hectare network of national parks. "It was a place of excitement and possibility – a yet unspoiled land of endless beauty and attainable dreams. But the vision was a mirage …" he says. Four years later, as Angola teetered towards civil war, Huntley joined a column of nearly 10,000 refugees fleeing south to Namibia and then SA. The euphoria of independence in 1975 and the end of nearly 500 years of Portuguese colonial domination evaporated quickly for Angolans as rival factions launched a battle for domination that would cost hundreds of thousands of lives and only end with the killing of South African-backed rebel leader Jonas Savimbi in 2002. Although much has been written about the human bloodshed and breakdown of institutions and infrastructure, Hu...
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