This new autobiography by wildlife celebrity Jonathan Scott celebrates
the extraordinary life of one of the world's most popular wildlife
presenters and photographers. From his childhood on a Berkshire farm in
the UK to his rise to international fame as a presenter on the Big Cat
Diary, one of the BBC Natural History Unit's most popular and
long-running wildlife series, Jonathan Scott has lived a life that many
people can only dream about. Following a degree in Zoology he travels
6,000 miles overland to Africa, where he becomes first a wildlife artist
and then a safari guide in the Maasai Mara. His experience allows him to
write his first major book, The Marsh Lions, followed by The Leopard's
Tale. At the same time, his TV career is launched when he becomes a
presenter on the long-running American series Wild Kingdom. Over the
years Jonathan's observations of wildlife prompt him to reflect on his
own life, revealing a side to his character that he has struggled to
overcome since childhood. Aged nearly forty, he finally finds peace
through meeting and marrying his wife, Angela, and together with her two
children they go on to prove you can mix domestic life and an
adventurous career when you share a love of family and wilderness, art
and photography. From their base in Kenya Jonathan and Angela travel to
Antarctica, a continent which grips them no less than their adopted
homeland, followed in later years by travels to India and Bhutan.
Throughout, the call of Africa always draws them home, but Africa and
the rest of the world are under siege from the tide of humanity that
threatens to snuff out the last wild places. Having travelled the globe
in search of award-winning photographs and lived a life of adventure,
Jonathan and Angie find their world changes forever the day she is
diagnosed with a cranial aneurism requiring urgent brain surgery. Facing
up to that challenge draws them even closer together and forces them to
examine the meaning of life, leading them on a spiritual journey to
rival anything they have undertaken before. Ultimately, The Big Cat Man
is a love story: one man's infatuation with Africa and his unfailing
devotion to the woman who shares his passion. Jonathan's writing makes
for a fascinating safari through a life lived in the world's most
spectacular wilderness area. His book raises uncomfortable questions
about the future of wildlife on a continent where the needs of the
people sometimes seem overwhelming; it will bring hope to those who have
struggled with their own demons and been afraid to seek help; but most
of all it will be an inspiration for those who, like Jonathan and Angie,
long to follow their dream, whatever it may be.
