乔治·夏勒博士是全球三位最杰出的野生动物学家之一（美国《时代周刊》评选），曾任国际野生生物保护学会（WCS）的副主席。他在亚洲、非洲和南美洲的野外，为保护山地大猩猩、美洲豹、大熊猫、老虎、狮子以及喜马拉雅山的野绵羊和野山羊等野生动物而研究和工作。其著作包括《大猩猩年》、《塞伦盖提的狮子》、《最后的熊猫》和《西藏生灵》。他获得的奖项包括日本的国际环境和谐奖和美国的国家地理学会终身成就奖、美国的泰勒环境成就奖，因30年来为中国野生动物保护事业所做出的卓越贡献获得中华环境保护基金会颁发的中华宝钢环保奖。

Since the 1950s, eminent field biologist George Schaller has roamed through many lands observing wild animals and conducting landmark long-term studies that have deepened our understanding of these creatures. He has reported and reflected on his work in classic, much-acclaimed books, including The Last Panda and National Book Award winner The Serengeti Lion , but much of his best writing has been ephemeral, published in magazines, only to drop out of sight. This collection features 19 short pieces brought together in book form to offer a unique overview of his life in the field.

Chapters describe stalking tigers in India and jaguars in Brazil’s Pantanal swamps, studying mountain gorillas in Central Africa and predator-prey relations in the Serengeti, tracking newfound species on the wild border of Vietnam and Laos, searching for snow leopards in the Hindu Kush, and Schaller’s groundbreaking work with giant pandas in Sichuan. Later accounts broaden the focus from individual creatures to whole ecosystems. The careless rapture of my early studies has been replaced more and more by efforts to protect animals and their habitats,” he writes.

New to this book are Schaller’s introductions for each chapter, which add and update information, and an overall introduction that looks back on his remarkable career.