Thursday, February 18, 2021

Sherry Knowlton: Inspired by the Okavango Delta

HALLIE EPHRON: I've traveled all over the world, but never to Africa. So there's a particular pleasure in reading Sherry Knowlton's newest Alexa Williams series suspense novel, DEAD ON THE DELTA, with its rich setting on African safari in Botswana.

We're so happy to welcome Sherry to Jungle Red to talk about the place and the amazing creatures that inspired her writing.

SHERRY KNOWLTON: Henry David Thoreau wrote, “In wildness is the preservation of the world.” There

are few places on earth wilder than Botswana’s remote Okavango Delta, one of my favorite travel destinations. Dead on the Delta, the latest in the Alexa Williams suspense series, is my love letter to the Okavango and its amazing wildlife.

My husband and I have visited many spots around the world, but we return to Africa again and again. Each time, we enjoy the safari experience: lurching over savannah in open Land Cruisers, staying in tented camps, and watching lions, leopards, and elephants carry on their lives just yards from our vehicle or tent.

I aimed to capture the wonder of the African bush in Dead on the Delta, sending my protagonist, Alexa, on a sabbatical to Botswana with her lion-researcher boyfriend. It’s not an Alexa Williams novel unless my heroine stumbles into deep trouble. In this book, she tangles with elephant poachers and Botswana politics. She also spends a lot of time in the field observing lions and other big cats.

When on safari in both East and Southern Africa, I’ve been thrilled to see so many lions, leopards, elephants and other wild animals. I even encountered mountain gorillas in Uganda. But it’s the big cats that most fascinate me. These creatures spend hours just lazing around like overgrown house cats but are so powerful when they rouse and spring into action on the hunt.

One day on Tanzania’s Serengeti Plain, I watched a pride of lions, a family of elephants and a herd of gazelles play out a scene that resembled a National Geographic special. Three female lions stalked and took down a gazelle. As the rest of the herd fled, the hungry lionesses carried their prize toward a gully to dine. Just then, a male lion swooped out of nowhere, bowled over a female and snatched the gazelle from her jaws. Triumphant, he scampered away with the gazelle and settled in for a meal. Then, two male elephants nearby became angry, perhaps triggered by the smell of blood. They charged the male lion, who dropped the gazelle and ran away. When the elephants lost interest and moved on, the lionesses returned to reclaim the gazelle and settled down for a feast.

Most of my other big cat encounters have been much less dramatic. But, while in a safari vehicle, I’ve been close enough to reach out and touch a lion. (Note: actually trying this is not advised!!). And I once had a leopard descend a tree right next to me while seated in an open Land Cruiser. The slightest of hops would have landed the fearsome cat in my lap. Lucky for me, she moved on unfazed. Guides always say that the wild animals, even the predators, are habituated from birth to the sight of safari vehicles in the national parks. That, as long as people stay inside the vehicles, the animals regard the entire package – people and vehicle – as one entity. However, if you step outside your vehicle or your tent, especially at night, all bets are off.

Remembering that guidance made me very nervous one evening in Botswana. Our group had just spent a half hour observing a large pride of lions. When the guide headed back to camp, we drove for just a few minutes when the tire went flat. All of us had to pile out of the Land Cruiser while the tire was changed.

As dusk fell, the guide cautioned us not to wander and to keep a sharp eye out for the pride, should it move in our direction. After twenty tense minutes of peering into lengthening shadows, on edge for the shape of a lion to emerge, we drove away unscathed. But that short time at ground level in lion territory gave me a much greater appreciation for the fact that we were the intruders there; visitors in a world where predators dominate.

Having nature teach you a little humility isn’t a bad thing. Developing a better appreciation for the interconnectedness of man and the natural world would be a great concept for all of us to embrace.

Lion numbers, like elephant numbers, are dwindling. Poaching, human encroachment on habitat, climate change: all are factors in shrinking numbers for the species. With the lion population in Africa decreasing by 90% in the last century, only about 23,000 lions are left in the wild. This is where Thoreau’s prescient warning -- that the preservation of wild spaces and the animals inhabiting them is critical to the continuing health of the planet – comes in.

While Dead on the Delta is a suspense novel, I’m hoping that my readers absorb its underlying message about the importance of wild places like the Okavango Delta remaining pristine.
And if that enhanced awareness can extend to every little patch of green space in readers’ own neighborhoods, we’re well on our way to preservation of the world.

Short of facing lions in the wild, what are your thoughts for ways to stress the importance of wild spaces as the human population expands?


About DEAD on the DELTA


When Alexa Williams agrees to spend four months doing lion research with boyfriend Reese, she looks forward to witnessing the elemental life and death struggle of the African wild. But she never imagines she’ll become one of the hunted on the famed Okavango Delta. In the latest Alexa Williams suspense novel, the kick-ass lawyer tangles with elephant poachers and conservation politics on the African continent.

Sherry Knowlton is the author of the Alexa Williams series of suspense novels including Dead of Spring and Dead of Winter. Passionate about books at an early age, she was that kid who would sneak a flashlight to bed at night so she could read beneath the covers. All the local librarians knew her by name. When not writing the next Alexa Williams thriller, Knowlton works with her health care consulting business or travels around the world. She and her husband live in the mountains of South Central Pennsylvania.

48 comments:

  1. This is certainly a timely topic, Sherry . . . . I really enjoyed reading about your travels to Africa and I’m looking forward to reading Alexa’s adventures.

    As for ways to stress the importance of wild spaces, I think if we all chose to purchase sustainable products and try to live more sustainably, it would help. And lots of education . . . .

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    1. .... and I'd add, admit that human beings do not need to inhabit every habitable inch of the planet.

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    2. Thanks. I agree that there are so many ways to help preserve the planet and buying sustainable products is certainly a big one. I just read an article about circular manufacturing in which designers and manufacturers of products try to reuse materials in the production phase -- a big jump toward sustainability.

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    3. Hallie - I truly believe we must live some places in the world as untouched as possible. Alaska's Arctic Wildlife Refuge is one that immediately springs to mind.

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    4. We’re surrounded by the Pinelands National Reserve [about 1,140,000 acres] and a state-designated pinelands area . . . undeveloped land for plants and animals . . . so the deer [and the turkeys] wander through our yard . . . it’s definitely a good thing.

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  2. Good for you for bringing your love of these animals into your book, Sherry. I have lived in West Africa but never gone on a safari. We did walk with a guide in a game preserve in central Ghana once and got close to elephants (and some stunning birds). And we boated (think canoe) in the Niger River in Niger and saw hippos nearby.

    I agree with Joan on what I can possibly do. That, and buy your book!

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    1. Closest I ever got to hippoes was the Safari ride at Disneyland. Wish I'd gone to West Africa, and those birds on the River Niger would be right up my alley.

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    2. All the birds, Hallie, even the ones outside our door in the capitals (Bamako and Ouagadougou) where we lived. If you ever go, I'll lend you my field guide to birds of West Africa!

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    3. I've not yet been to West Africa, but would like to visit some of those countries as well. The birds in the East and Southern African countries I've visited are outstanding -- and so varied. My absolutely favorite bird can be found there, the Lilac Breasted Roller.

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  3. Like you, Sherry, I love watching big cats in action. Or inaction, as it may be. So much power and grace.

    If we could all just think about our actions a bit more, and expand those thoughts beyond our own experience, I think it would help so in so many areas.

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    1. Thanks, Liz. Considering the world outside our own experience is a mindset that would have positive results in a lot of areas including conservation.

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  4. Congratulations on your new release with a very compelling premise! I look forward to reading it.

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  5. Welcome to JRW, Sherry! Conservation and environmental issues are always a part of our conversations here, besides murder, of course. My husband and I, although we have traveled very little together outside the continental US, plan our trips around wildlife viewing. I personally belong to just about every wildlife preservation organization you can think of and I know, when I mail in that membership check, that it is just a drop in the bucket of what is needed for my grandchildren to see the animals and wild areas I have seen.

    I'm one of those readers who has to start at the beginning of a series, but I may make an exception. Thanks so much for writing a story that brings these issues, not just the poaching but the governmental ambivalence to the forefront. Every US citizen on this blog should note that the last administration did everything it could do to overturn long standing environmental regulations and to turn our wild areas over to industry. Now it behooves us all to make sure that these policies are not permitted to stand. We may have limited time to put the necessary protections into law. All of us must use our voices to make sure that legislators from around the country, hear that we want our oceans, our lands and our wildlife safe-guarded so that our children can experience what we have. (O-o-o, soap box city today. Sorry Reds.)

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    1. I share that particular soapbox, Judy. We've planned our trips around wildlife viewing, too, but need to keep in mind that it's divers who want to get up close and personal with fishies that are one of the things killing the coral reefs.

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    2. I'm up there on that soapbox with you. I'm hoping that the new Administration can roll back all the most egregious assaults on the environment and wildlife that the last tried to implement. But, that just gets us back to a baseline where even more needs to be done.

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    3. That's why I feel time is so short. This administration, this Congress needs to Carpe diem, pass the laws that make it much harder to do what the orange guy and his cohorts tried to do.

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  6. The lionesses and the gazelles. That is absolutely profound. Almost like a fable.
    So grateful for your essay today! Thank you!

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  7. SHERRY: Thank you for sharing your wildlife experiences in Africa with your safari experiences and in your new book.

    I agree that we can all do much more to protect wild spaces in biodiversity both locally and around the world.

    Here in Canada, we have an abundance of wild and protected spaces, but we can do better.
    Our municipal and regional government is asking for public input on how to protect the greenbelt surrounding our urban areas. We don't want to lose this precious land to urban/suburban sprawl.

    Home owners should consider the impact the use of herbicides or cutting down a tree has on the local wildlife. And visitors to provincial and national parks should be enjoy these wonderful spaces in a respectful manner. Do not collect or damage the wild plants or animals! I can't believe the selfish behaviour of some tourists wanting to take a selfie photo at any cost.

    We don't want a world where we can only see what wildlife looked like in a museum diorama or zoo.

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    1. So true -- and don't forget the wildlife that we DON'T want to pet (bees, spiders, snakes...) need to have a safe place to live and propagate.

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    2. Grace, I've visited some of Canada's truly wild spaces like the Great Bear Rainforest and the Hudson Bay to see polar bears. They're absolutely breathtaking. But, in a recent trip, I was so impressed by the amount of green space in the city of Vancouver and on Vancouver Island.
      We have similar problems with people abusing national and state parks in the States as well, especially as the park usage jumped up with the pandemic. Maybe we need to include nature and park appreciation in the elementary school curriculum.

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  8. Looking forward to reading Dead on the Delta.

    I agree with Grace's comments. We have lost so much of our wildlife and wild spaces. The decline is breathtaking. Time to turn it around and live sustainably and mindfully.

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    1. I'm reminded of the drive up the freeway from Westwood to the San Fernando Valley in Southern California - when I was growing up it was uninhabited. Now the houses are cheek-by-jowl the whole way.

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    2. And Irvine when I went to UC there was wild artichokes and prairie everywhere - now it's a city.

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    3. Here in Southcentral Pennsylvania there is still a lot of green space, both farmland and forests, but the interstate is now lined with scores of giant warehouses that hold the consumer products that we all buy. And, the interstate is clogged with the tractor trailer trucks that haul the goods in and out of the warehouses.

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  9. Our safari in Tanzania was life-changing. My husband is a professional wildlife photographer, so the entire reason we went was to film and photograph. Like you, Sherry, we were able to see vast areas around watering holes with herds of many different animals. It was breathtaking. We only saw one attack, not nearly as dramatic as the one you describe.

    As an organic gardener, I also agree with Grace's comments above. Lawn grass, and the chemicals used to maintain it, is a huge issue today, and one of the reasons why we are losing the bees. Clover, violets, dandelions, and other "weeds" that get eradicated from lawns, are vital to the health of the bee population. Many people in our area treat their lawns to get rid of mosquitoes, too, which gets rid of all insect life in the area, pest or beneficial gardening partner. The poisons don't discriminate.

    In one of my Master Gardener classes an instructor told us that one mature oak tree can host as many as 400 insect and other animal species, many of them pollinators. That is a significant ecosystem right there, with as much diversity as the Serengeti itself.

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    1. So fascinating, Karen - 400(!) in a single mature oak!
      I suppose I should think more kindly about the bunnies that are ravaging all the clover and dandelion greens that flourish in my lawn, as well as my black eyed susans and hostas and...

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    2. KAREN: I don't think many people realize how vital bees and other pollinators are the ecosystem and our food supply. So many crops that we depend on are pollinated by bees.

      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_crop_plants_pollinated_by_bees

      We are building urban bee hives all over the city (in Ottawa). It is helping but not really addressing the root causes of the huge decline in bee population.

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    3. I sprinkle deer and rabbit repellant around my more vulnerable plants, Hallie. Three or four times a year seems to be enough.

      What we humans tend to forget is that everything on earth is connected. A water shortage or a dying bee population in one place affects us all, not just those in the immediate area.

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    4. Karen - you are so right about the interconnectedness (is that a word?) of nature. A few years back a guide in Wyoming told us about the problems that ensued when wolves were eradicated. The elk herds grew and grew, which meant that when they came to the rivers and streams the banks started to crumble and their feces contaminated the water, which affected the fish, etc. Finally, they reintroduced wolves to the ecosystem and it began to stabilize. A lesson that we should learn more broadly.

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    5. Wolves and bears are species constantly under attack. Laws to allow hunting of entire bear families in their dens during hibernation is one of the horrible initiatives that wildlife protection orgs have been fighting to prevent.

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  10. Tread lightly on the earth -- and feed the local birds. That's what I do, hoping that in this small way, I am doing my part for the wild creatures.

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    1. I enjoy feeding our local birds too. It's snowing here today, and they're going crazy at the feeders.

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    3. Here are the birds we saw today: Starling, sparrow, dark eyed junco, bluejay, northern cardinal, downy woodpecker, white breasted nuthatch, mourning dove, American goldfinch. Just today!

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    4. So happy to see the birds of winter here!

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  11. Fantastic post. What amazing adventures you’ve had. It breaks me that human beings have destroyed so much of the natural world. I’m a big believer in zero population growth. I was relieved to read there isn’t a Covid baby boom looming but rather a divorce boom. Looking forward to an African adventure in your latest release! Congratulations!

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  12. So much of animal-human conflict is caused by people encroaching upon territory that used to be animal habitat. Generally, humans have been taught that, since we're at the top of the food chain, we get to dominate and take over that space. Unfortunately, that human arrogance is wrecking the balance of the planet.

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    1. When I read Swiss Family Robinson to my son when he was small, I was shocked at the attitude of the family towards nature's bounty. I should not have been, because I already knew about the way birds had been hunted to extinction in past centuries.

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  13. Hi Sherry and welcome to Jungle Red. I've always been fascinated by Africa and am looking forward to your book!

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  14. Oh, Sherry, I have your book on my wish list, and I plan to order it. I love your description here of being on safari, something on my bucket list. The flat tire incident would have freaked me out, I think, because I've had dreams of lions stalking me. Hmm, maybe I shouldn't go on a safari. Anyway, thanks for visiting Jungle Reds today and sharing your fascinating adventures with us.

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    1. I hope you enjoy the book. And, please take a safari some day. If you're a little nervous about lions or other beasts on your first venture, there are options to stay in lodges with four walls and view the animals from the safety of safari vehicles during the day. My husband and I prefer tented camps- the more remote, the better - but there are many options for having a wonderful wildlife-viewing experience.

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  15. My brother loved Africa and visited about 5 times including to Botswana. He took lovely pictures of a lioness with 2 cubs in the delta and many bird pictures including the roller. While I support nature organizations, I prefer being in my garden or watching on TV. There are loads of bees and butterflies in my garden. Stay safe and well.

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  16. I'm glad your garden hosts bees and butterflies. Since I live in the mountains, we can't grow many flowers or veggies except in containers. After a few years of declining Monarch butterflies in late summer, this year I noticed that I saw quite a few. I hope that signals an upswing in butterfly populations.

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  17. Sally's mention of her brother's lion and bird photos reminded me: I'd like to give a shout out to my husband Mike Knowlton, whose photos are featured in my post. He took the lion cub and leopard photos in Botswana. The elephants drinking were in Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe.

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