Jaguars Ripped my Flesh by Tim Cahill

This is a collection of short travel essays. A lot of them are adventurous - we have caving in Kentucky, skydiving, , swimming with sharks, watching the eruption of Mount St Helens at close quarters etc. There are also tales of epic travels in various south American countries. But Cahill is, for me, at his best, a true environmentalist. Life and Love in Gorilla Country is a wonderful close encounter with the gorillas in Volcano Country Park, Rwanda. It is clear that Cahill totally enjoys getting close to these magnificent creatures, though he doesn't shy away from describing all the pressures on their environment. The Shame of Escobilla is a powerful and moving account of the pressures on sea turtles in Mexico. The New Desert, An Old Woman describes how desert has come to what was once Owen's Lake, in California. Kayaking Among the Ice Children is set in Alaska, amongst the harbour seals and whales around Glacier Bay National Monument. All the stories are very readable and appeal to a wide range of tastes among those who like travel literature. But nowhere do jaguars rip flesh....

Jaguars Ripped My Flesh, Penguin Books, 1987