Customer Reviews

Endangered Liaisons

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This beautiful volume immediately attracted me with its vivid and beautifully reproduced photos, but it's the author's intimate recollections of his many visits to Africa that lingered when I turned the final page. With language as lush as the landscapes he describes yet as down-to-earth as the species he painstakingly profiles, Shay increasingly articulates his lifelong love affair with a place so removed from our day-to-day lives.

This is a rare coffee table book that provides a vicarious experience for someone who has never been on safari or visited Africa. The photos are by turns striking, immediate, humorous, and startling. The text is both informative and personal, and reveals the character of someone with a deep passion and sense of wonder.

I imagine the book would also deeply stir anyone who has had the fortune to see these sights and been lucky enough to visit this land that Shay so lovingly describes.

For people who love Africa and her wildlife, Endangered Liaisons is in my opinion a 'must have'. Written and compiled by Don Shay, this sumptuous book is a treat that will sit comfortably on any coffee table - be it in Cape Town, Cairo, Zürich or New York.

While there are many examples of this genre in circulation today, this publication is unique because not only is each page bursting with the most perfectly composed photographic experiences, but Don Shay also shares with the reader his experiences, his thoughts and what he has learned sometimes, in the most disarmingly honest way.

Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, Tanzania, Rwanda.... the list goes on and it includes more places visited than almost any other African I know. Not only do we have up intimate experiences of Lion, Elephant and Leopard, but we readers also indulge in other equally exotic cocktails like, Hamerkop, Lilac-breasted Roller and Gorilla.

This is not a work of fake tanned chests, khaki shirts and David Livingstone style bravado. As native of Africa myself I was thrilled to see that Don Shay has taken the trouble to learn and absorb Africa and to experience her unbeatable panoramas and her hot blooded pulse. But more importantly, I believe that he has bestowed on Africa dignity - sadly, something so often missing even in Africa itself these days.

Exquisite.....

There are many books about Africa that you can weigh your coffee table down with. Many have exquisite photographs of a particular region but their text is as lumpy as old porridge. Dedication to one region may also make them a little monotonous.

Endangered Liaisons is different. Don Shay is unfairly blessed with great talent in both photography and writing, and has over the years visited much of Africa. This has given him am insight into the continent that even some of its full time residents lack. As a safari guide, this is the book I would recommend people read before coming on a trip to Africa.

Peter Allison, author of Whatever You Do, Don't Run - True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide.

Whatever You Do, Don't Run: True Tales of a Botswana Safari Guide

Endangered Liaisons is a stunningly beautiful coffee-table book of African wildlife photography. From the lunge of a hyena warding off the carrion bird that would compete for its kill, to a Nile monitor on the prowl, to dwarf mongooses populating a termite mound den to a close-up of the crowned crane and much more, Endangered Liaisons is a wondrous glimpse of nature's creatures, sometimes even at their more inopportune moments - like a zebra rolling the dust, and even copulating elephants! Most of the photographs are allowed to speak for themselves, but the text frequently comments on the challenges and threats to the survival of the animal species, from habitat destruction to human predation to inbreeding among their own gene pool. The perfect giftbook for wildlife lovers, a welcome addition to photography shelves, and truly an amazing sight to behold from cover to cover.

When I first opened Endangered Liaisons, I just wanted to gawk at all the amazing photographs, but I thought I'd read the first page to orient myself and get an idea of the main thrust of the book. A couple of weeks later I found I'd read every word and felt that I had enjoyed not just several safari's but several amazing, safaris full of unbelievable experiences and incredible good fortune. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on the Chobe elephants and felt that I was right there with Don Shay putt-putting along the Chobe river searching out riparian wildlife (well, actually I was). For anyone who wants to know what a safari is really like, this is a perfect book.

I have worked closely with Don Shay, the author of this book, for nearly 30 years; and so my perceptions are not those of a completely unbiased reader. They are, however, the perceptions of a reader who has never been to Africa, and who does not have the Africa-phile's passion for the continent and her wildlife. Even for me, a person yet to have enjoyed her first safari, this book was fascinating and thrilling from the first page to the last. The text offers insights that are sometimes personal, sometimes philosophical, sometimes purely educational, and it is supported by exquisite wildlife photographs on every page. When I finished this book, I felt as if I'd come as close to exploring Africa as one can from the comfort of one's armchair -- but it also whetted my appetite for the real African experience. For anyone with an interest in Africa and the safari experience, this book is an absolute 'must buy.' For everyone else, buy this book and you will find -- as I did -- that with his words and his photography, Don Shay has laid Africa at your feet and on your coffee table.

Its cryptic title may serve to conceal "Endangered Liaisons" from too large a number of potential readers or just admirers of its photographs, but the coordination requisite to organizing a wildlife safari is indeed endangered at every connection. Escalating airfares, threatening travel advisories, health precautions, fees for visas and visa services, as well as interminable air travel conspire against safari planners. But safari aficionados Jerry Dale, his acolyte Don Shay, and I recognize the liaisons among the animals of Africa and especially between them and people as those most endangered. It is particularly the latter, I believe, that prompted Shay to relate such detailed and engaging accounts of his and wife Estelle's safari experiences spanning 20 years.

Shay's most receptive audience is likely to consist of his fellow trip planners who accompany our clients on each safari we organize, and perhaps other safariphiles whose passion for Africa's wildlife and wild places mandates repeated visits. To me his descriptions of the wildlife parks and reserves of the various countries, their characteristic species, the lodges and camps, even his driver/guides are spot-on. I have found no other source expounding the ambiance of a game drive in a manner more comprehensively summarizing my own experience.

The vivid images conveyed by Shay's photographs and prose are nearly paralleled by their accuracy. I'm certain the caption to his photograph of a white-backed vulture on page 59 is merely mislabeled "white-headed." Referring to African sleeping sickness as "a lethal form of encephalitis" (p. 96) is misleading at best. Shay's lack of familiarity with African snakes is evident on page 165 where, in quest of mountain gorillas in Rwanda at "well above 8,000 feet," he expresses concern regarding a possible "eye-level meeting with a cobra or mamba or whatever other vipers inhabited the region." The distribution of no mamba reaches an elevation of 8,000 feet and that of only the forest cobra marginally does. Neither cobras nor mambas are vipers and should not be implied as such. The Great Lakes bush viper occurs in Rwanda and has a distribution extending somewhat above 9,000 feet. On page 240, Shay falls prey to misuse of the verb "preying" in stating that large crocodiles in Botswana's Chobe River "...are renowned for predating on antelopes and zebra..." Increasing instances of such misuse notwithstanding, to predate still means to date before the actual date.

Shay concentrates on mammals and rather selectively at that. He has satisfying but frustrating encounters with mountain gorillas in Parc National des Volcans. He dwells extensively on elephants of savanna and desert, relating tragedies inflicted upon them by people. He regales us with anecdotes of experiences with the larger predators -- lions, cheetahs, spotted hyenas, and hunting dogs in particular -- but says and shows little of the smaller. The great diversity of African antelopes is underrepresented.

"Endangered Liaisons" is unequaled among large folio books in evoking the essence of the safari experience. Those privileged to have enjoyed safaris in Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Botswana, and Namibia will find themselves re-living fond memories. Anyone contemplating a safari in one or more of these countries will find no better introduction to such a life-altering adventure.

My coffee table is piled high with coffee-table books, almost all of them filled with beautiful pictures of African wildlife. But Endangered Liaisons is usually on top, as though it was the biggest piece in a jar of mixed objects when you shake it. Actually it's not the biggest volume, but it's the book I enjoy reading as much as I enjoy the pictures, because the text is as lively and literate as it is informative. Mr. Shay has an unusual turn of phrase and his take on an event or animal is often unexpected and amusing. Here's a for-instance of his evocative writing.

Page 88. Writing of the black kites that prey on tourists eating lunch at Ngorongoro Crater's Tokitok Springs:

These crafty bandits render any thoughts of an idyllic lakeside picnic out of the question. From a hundred yards aloft, the hawk-size raptors can target a piece of cold chicken or a sandwich and in a flash come tearing out of the sky like warplanes on a strafing run. Wings spread wide and talons extended, they descend in force upon anyone ignorant or foolhardy enough to suppose that a picnic lunch should be eaten in the open. With a deft snatch, hands are emptied and claws are filled, often with a morsel of torn flesh to compound the affront.

The text is tightly linked to the pictures, which represent the distillation of thousands of photos taken on numerous safaris over a span of 20 years. Mr. Shay is also a publisher and well-known author. So the book has about everything anyone could want.

As a behavioral ecologist who has spent the past 45 years studying African mammals, it is gratifying to discover that the author of a photographic volume has read the two books on their behavior that I wrote* and thereby increased his awareness of their behavioral repertoire. This awareness shows in photos taken at the decisive moment. Also in his accurate thumbnail descriptions of the species' social and mating system. Here's a nice description of gorilla society:

Shy and essentially peaceable, more inclined to flee danger than confront it, gorillas are, nonetheless, immensely powerful and can respond explosively if aroused or threatened. Most gorillas live in polygamous family units ranging in size from just a few members to more than thirty. At the head of each family is a dominant male silverback - so named for the saddle of white fur that comes with sexual maturity - who will typically have undisputed dominion over two to five breeding females and an assortment of offspring. Silverbacks are formidable leaders, tasked with protecting the family from outside threats, including hostile takeovers by would be usurpers, as well as maintaining discipline and harmony within the group. For this reason, and because strength and fighting ability are essential to attracting and retaining breeding partners, sexual dimorphism among gorillas is the most pronounced of all primates, with fully mature males standing a foot taller and weighing nearly twice as much as their female counterparts.

*Books by R. D. Estes:

The Behavior Guide to African Mammals. University of California Press, Los Angeles, 1991.

Safari Companion. Chelsea Green, White River, NH, 2nd edition, 1999.

I have finished Endangered Liaisons with sorrow that the read is over. Great photography!! - different from the usual; remarkably realistic. Gives one a sense of being there. Mr. Shay certainly could stand his ground while shooting. The book never let up in its remarkable quality of photographs and text, each section as good as or better than the previous. I have been fascinated with Africa since childhood, and I thank you for bringing me so close to realizing my imagination. It brought me into the experience of being on safari.

"Endangered Liaisons" by Don Shay is, quite simply, a wonderful book. It not only features truly extraordinary photographs of Africa and its many animals, but also offers a rich narrative filled with adventure, history, and a call to arms for conservation. In his exploration of the still mysterious continent, Mr. Shay infuses his adventures with an almost dream-like quality. In his closing chapter, he explains:

"My intent was to create an evocation of the safari experience. The events I recounted in my chapter on lions in the Masai Mara or in my chapter on elephants on the Chobe River could have transpired twenty years ago or they could have transpired just last week. The safari experience is immutable and timeless at its essence."

Mr. Shay succeeds beautifully. The result is an exquisite mix of lovely images and equally lovely words, brought together in an elegantly-bound edition. For those who enjoy armchair adventures, "Endangered Liaisons" is a highly entertaining chronicle of Mr. Shay's many experiences on safari. At the same time, it offers cautionary tales about the dangers that continue to threaten Africa's animals and, therefore, humanity itself.