Peter Allison was only nineteen when he left Australia for Africa, thinking he might travel around and see a bit of the country before going home to a 'proper job'. But Africa worked its magic, and Peter ended up falling, quickly and completely, in love with the country and its wildlife. Landing in a game reserve in the wildlife-rich Okavango Delta, he became a safari guide and, some twelve years later, his short holiday in Africa isn't over yet.
Whatever You Do, Don't Run is his guide's-eye view of living in the bush, confronting the world's fiercest animals and, most challenging of all, managing herds of gaping tourists. Like the young woman who rejected the recommended safari-friendly khaki to wear a more 'fashionable' hot pink ensemble, or the Japanese tourist who requested a repeat performance of Allison's being charged by a lion so he could videotape it.
Peter Allison - like an affable, younger David Attenborough or a slightly more laid-back Steve Irwin - really knows his wildlife. He's had some extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime experiences. From close encounters with hungry lions, cranky elephants and over-protective honey badgers, there's not much in the African bush that Peter hasn't seen, done or been chased by. His affection for these wild and dangerous animals and his fascination with, and respect for, their often extraordinary behaviour is completely genuine, deep and infectious. Reading Whatever You Do, Don't Run is like sitting around a campfire late at night and listening to him talking - his stories of the animals and the bush are gentle, warm, funny and utterly engaging.
