Thirty years ago, two trips to iconic destinations, Africa and the Antarctic, profoundly changed Satyajit Das’s life. Ecotourism — watching wildlife in nature — became his gravitational centre. Wild Quests is a literal and metaphorical record of these travels.

Over time, during his encounters with remarkable wild animals in continents across the world, he came to question the underlying preoccupations and tensions in humans’ complex and troubled relationship with nature. What lies at the heart of our fascination with wild animals and our attempts to pursue an ‘experience’? During a time of ecological emergency and habitat destruction, what responsibility does the ecotourist have to the natural world?

Brimming with passion, wit and candour, Wild Quests combines travelogue, history and science to provide penetrating insights into animals, humans and the future of the planet.