The Big Cat Man: An Autobiography (Bradt Travel Guides (Travel Literature))

Having been to Africa on safari many times, I watch all tv documentaries on the topic that I can find, and enjoy Jonathan Scott as a presenter. I was even lucky enough to meet him once, many years ago, in the Masai Mara. I therefore knew I would enjoy this book but I had no expectation that it would be as moving and emotional as I found it. Scott is extremely frank about the mental health problems he has experienced, and clearly utterly devoted to the wildlife he has spent his life observing, writing about, and photographing. And utterly devoted too, to his wildlife photographer wife Angie. A late marriage, he raised her two children as his own and writes with great affection of their many happy years together, and the life-saving inspiration she gives him. Likely to be my book of the year.

This book was first published in 2016, has 336 pages, 11 chapters, 71 beautiful colour pictures, 70 wonderful B/W sketches, 6 B/W family photos but no maps. The book is dedicated to 'Angie'. The foreword is by Richard Leakey. If the colour pictures look wonderful, the pen and ink drawings are fantastic by JONATHAN SCOTT, probably inherited from his father, and they look 'Alive'. A lot of wildlife films made in Kenya were not seen on Kenyan TV. On our many visits to Kenya and Northern Tanzania, it was quite obvious that most Africans outside protected areas, had never seen African Wildlife and had no sympathy for African animals.After his father's death aged 42, Jonathan aged 2 (1943), the family moved to a farm. This provided him with close up views of animals. Jonathan joined the Christ's Hospital School as a boarder. It was here that Jonathan read 'Jock of the Bush Veld' with its beautiful sketches. On B/W TV, he watched 'On safari' and in cinema 'Born Free'. He took Zoology at Queen's University, Belfast for 4 years. In 1974, an opportunity came to travel over land with adventurers for 3 months to Johannesburg and Africa. He suffered with fever and dysentery. He found Kenya and Tanzania, his kind of Africa. His B/W photos never came out in Nairobi and he just survived climbing Mt Kilimanjaro (19,340ft). At Johannesburg, he decided to become an artist and a photographer. In Botswana, he made his 1st sale of pen and ink drawings. In 1976, he drove to Nairobi, Kenya in a VW Combi, and sold more of his drawings.After getting Kenyan Residence permit, Jonathan got a job at Mara River Camp. He suffered from anxiety and hypochondria. He made notes in his diaries of all the animals he saw and their behaviour, took photographs and made drawings. In 1981, he published his 1st book of 73 pages 'A Souvenir Guide Book to African birds'. He also acted as a safari guide and then got into film making. In 1974, Mara National Game Reserve was founded. In 1981, he had moved to Kichwa Tembo Camp. After writing 'Marsh Lions', he had back injury and disc problem and landed up in England for 6 months. After recovery, he wrote 'Leopard's Tale' His next project was the wildebeest (The Great Migration) and the African Wild Dogs (Painted Wolves). For this, he had to move to Serengeti, Tanzania.In 1973, Jonathan had gone to America to study the Native American culture and the past Great herds of Bison migration on the plains, bigger in scale than the wildebeest migration. He still got intermittent attacks of malaria. In Serengeti, he had to sleep/work from his customised land Cruiser. As Jonathan's photographs got better, he won awards for Animal Portraits in 1984 and Wildlife photographer of the year in 1987. In 1992, he met ANGELA BELLAMY, who had been married twice before and had 2 children, ALIA and DAVID. They married on Siria or Olololoo escarpment, Mara. They bought a house/land in Langata, south Nairobi, with 24/7 security, not far from the Giraffe centre/Manor. You can witness this high security when you visit Nairobi and its posh suburbs.The book ends with Jonathan describing health problems in the Scott family, but also the joy of having his grandson MICHAEL JONATHAN born in Nairobi. Europeans and Asians worried about security, health insurance and pensions. But Kenya and Africa was in their blood and they won't leave, even though some had 'Plan B' and were referred to as 'Paper Citizens'. Jonathan is determined to enjoy the happiness with Angie and their children and grandchildren, in Africa.Jonathan Scott has written nearly 30 books, some of them are:-(1) Marsh Lions, 1982 (2012)(2) Know Kenya's Animals, 1985(3) Leopard's Tale, 1985 (2003) 2013(4) The Great Migration, 1988(5) Painted Wolves, 1991(6) Kingdom of Lions, 1995(7) Big Cat Diary, 1996 (2002)(8) Dawn to Dusk, 1996(9) Safari Guide to East African Birds/Animals, 1998(10)Mara Serengeti, 2000(11)Sacred Nature, 2016Having born in Kenya, I enjoyed reading this book.

I have just put this book down all finished. Wow, I absolutely loved it. Jonathan brought to life the plains of the Serengeti and the Maasi Mara and having visited Kenya made me wish I was back there again. This is an honest and thought provoking book that even brought a tear to my eye when Jonathan talks about the little cheetah cub Toto. The photos in the book were wonderful as well as the accompanying sketches found throughout. This is a book I will keep and cherish next to my Big Cat Diary collection.

Covers all the usual topics of an animal book mainly set in Kenya. Excellent photographs and a brief section about penguins. The author is refreshingly direct about his personal life and also about some aspects of East African politics nowadays.

A beautiful Book which is beautifully illustrated with lovely photos and drawings. I know that it will be a book which I will pick up and read many times

Daughter loves this series on TV (so do I), beautiful book and well written

WONDERFUL ACCOUT OF LIONS

Super book by a special individual who truly loves Africa and its wildlife.