Many excellent conservation initiatives in Africa over the past few decades have come and gone, with no record of their passing, their achievements, or failures. We are all the poorer for that. However, the story of the sanctuaries for rare species of animals in the Liwonde National Park , the black rhinoceros of Malawi , and the J&B Circle will not be lost. Thanks largely to Bentley Palmer's penchant for keeping records of just about everything, and his literary skills, the story has been preserved.

The J&B Circle, with a name that was a puzzle to outsiders – but not to anyone who lived in Malawi in the past few years – became an institution in conservation circles. The Circle earned its place as a respected NGO through the funds it raised, for the selfless volunteer service that it's members provided for the development and management of the Liwonde sanctuary, and for the undoubted pivotal role that they played in securing the return to Malawi of the black rhinoceros, one of Africa 's most charismatic big game species.

In addition to being a record of this fascinating venture, this slim volume also contains a great deal of information on the natural history of the rhino, and the other animal species in the sanctuary. The information on the encouraging increase of the various species in the sanctuary comes at a time when many populations of wildlife elsewhere in Malawi are under increasing pressure and declining. This record alone can stand as a proud measure of the success of the J&B Circle. It is also the benchmark against which the continued activities of the Endangered Species of Malawi, and other conservation efforts in the country, will be assessed in the future.