From the end of the Picadilly line to the plains of Africa, an unlikely journey fired by a childhood reading of Tarzan of the Apes. Tony Fitzjohn found his path in life, helping save the lions of Africa. A particularly valuable guide as he pulls no punches when dealing with the reality of poaching, encroachment and crime and the effects these have on his life-saving work.
Born Wild The Extraordinary Story of One Man's Passion for Lions and for Africa. Synopsis
Born Wild is a story of passion, adventure and skulduggery on the frontline of African conservation. Following Tony Fitzjohn's journey from London bad boy to African wildlife warrior, the heart of the story is a series of love affairs with the world's most beautiful and endangered creatures - affairs that so often end in pain, for to succeed in re-introducing a lion or leopard to the wild is to be deprived of their companionship. Tony tells of his twenty years in Kenya with George Adamson of Born Free fame - a time of discovery, isolation and frequent danger living far from civilisation. And when he was prevented from re-introducing any more animals into the wild and made unwelcome in the country he loved, Tony had to start anew in Tanzania.
'Brilliant, truly brilliant. I was hooked. It was inspiring, moving and exciting. He is the last of the swashbuckling conservationists who has selflessly devoted his life to the people and the wildlife of Africa. A true african adventure of epic proportions. It makes me want to give up everything and move to Africa'. -- Ben Fogle
'Hugely compelling and funnily written. From tragedies of the worst kind to triumphs unimaginable, he's a true pioneer making up solutions to situations as he goes along' -- Martin Clunes
'Born Wild describes his breathless roller coaster across the African savannah with passion and humour, an inspirational tale of what one comitted individual can achieve against the odds' -- Brian Jackman Sunday Telegraph
'The passages describing the lions the three men were raising and rehabilitating into the wild are odes to harmony, serentiy and understanding' -- Telegraph
Author
About Tony Fitzjohn
Tony Fitzjohn has spent over forty years re-introducing lions, leopards, rhinos and African Hunting Dogs to the wild. He is one of the world's leading field experts on the relationship between man and African wildlife. He was awarded the OBE by the Queen and the Order of the Golden Ark by Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands for his services to wildlife.
