FEATURING - The First Hundred Years: National Zoological Gardens of South Africa by Philip and Ingrid Van den Berg, and Pat Hopkins.

The Special Collections Book of the Week this week is:

The First Hundred Years: National Zoological Gardens of South Africa by Philip and Ingrid Van den Berg, and Pat Hopkins.

The National Zoological Gardens of South Africa is justly regarded as one of the top ten zoos in the world. Because of this reputation, it is the preferred nature experience of many. But it is more than a recreation haven. “The massive growth in the world's human population,” wrote the late Prince Philip, HRH the Duke of Edinburgh and first President of the World Wildlife Fund – UK branch, from its foundation in 1961 to 1982, “and the demands that it is now making on the world's rapidly diminishing natural resources, has caused a very serious crisis for the natural environment and all the wild species of animals and plants which depend on it for survival. This threat to the integrity of the global ecological system is also a threat to the survival of human civilisation itself. […] I believe that we have a very special practical, and moral, responsibility to ensure the survival of the rest of life on earth. Much can be done by establishing and managing protected areas, but there are many species whose natural habitats have already been degraded or destroyed. For these, the only hope of survival is direct stewardship and human care in zoological and botanical gardens and ex situ breeding centres.” That is precisely what is happening at the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa—a conservation centre for the future.

Access: https://univofpretoria.on.worldcat.org/oclc/47354320

This book is available at Special Collections, housed on level 5 of the Merensky 2 Library, and is part of our Africana (ZA) Collection.

The Special Collections unit of the Department of Library Services plays a stewardship role in the acquisition and preservation of the Library's rare and valuable information resources, making them accessible to students, staff and researchers, as well as safeguarding them for future generations.