The growth of the wildlife industry in South Africa can be measured by the growth in the number of wildlife ranches. In 1965 there were only four wildlife-fenced properties in the former north-western Transvaal. By 2005, 40 years later, there were more than 10 000 properties with wildlife exemption permits in the nine provinces combined. As the wildlife industry continues to expand, so too does the need for scientific knowledge upon which it must be based.

This sixth edition of Game ranch management is written by 39 experts in various fields and edited by two experienced wildlife ecologists, managers and veterinarians. It is as complete a guide as possible for wildlife ranchers in South Africa. All the chapters have been revised and updated, with extensive new information on information systems and data management; economics of the wildlife industry in South Africa; bacterial, viral and protozoal diseases of wildlife; buying and selling wild animals; hunting, keeping and managing large terrestrial carnivores; trophy hunting; meat production; veld management, and habitat rehabilitation.

Game ranch management is designed for undergraduate and postgraduate students doing degrees or modules in wildlife management and ranching at training institutions across southern Africa. It is also a guide for current and future owners of extensive wildlife production units.

Prof. Jacobus du Plessis Bothma completed BSc and MSc degrees in Zoology at the University of Pretoria and a PhD in Wildlife Science at Texas A & M University in the United States. He worked as a predator ecologist until he was seconded to the University of Pretoria by the former Transvaal provincial government to start the first postgraduate degree in wildlife management at a South African university. There he occupied the Eugene Marais Chair of Wildlife Management, which later became the cornerstone of the Centre for Wildlife Management in the Department of Animal and Wildlife Sciences of the University of Pretoria. He retired in December 2005, but continues his research and writing as an emeritus professor. He is currently the author, co-author or editor of 21 books or book chapters, more than 100 published scientific articles and 225 popular science articles on wildlife topics. He is listed as one of the notable alumni of the University of Pretoria.

Dr Jacobus Gabriel du Toit completed an agriculture degree in Animal Science at the University of Stellenbosch, an honours degree in Wildlife Management and a degree in Veterinary Science at the University of Pretoria. He established the first formal private wildlife veterinary practice in South Africa and pioneered the introduction of elephant families on wildlife ranches, the breeding of disease-free buffalo from diseased parents, the harvesting of rhinoceros horns for commercial purposes and the use of elephants as biodetectors (detecting of landmines). His fields of interest are the breeding of endangered wildlife species and doing research on the medicinal values of plants. He believes in applied research, a holistic approach to wildlife production and has raised funds as a member of the SA Veterinary Foundation for numerous wildlife projects.