In her memoir, Diary of a Wildlife Photographer, Jan Latta recounts having breakfast with a cheetah and other wondrous adventures across the world from the jungles of Africa to the mountains of China.
“When I came face-to-face with a mountain gorilla in Rwanda, that moment changed my life,” the Australian writer and photographer recalls. “My guide said there were fewer than 600 mountain gorillas left in the world, and I thought that was so sad. I wanted to do something to help so I became a wildlife photographer to tell the animal’s true to life story.”
With 13 books in her True to Life series of children’s photobooks, Latta’s goal is reach young children because “hopefully, they will be the next generation to save the endangered animals.”
“Each True to Life book has photos of animals in their natural habitat and simple text including facts, maps, fun activities and educational videos,” she explains. “I’ve followed elephants, dangerous rhinos, prides of lions, gentle giraffes and had a wonderful experience with two cheetahs. Then pandas in the Woolong mountains in China, jungles of Borneo with orangutans, Sri Lanka for the elusive leopard and Uganda for Dr Jane Goodall's chimps.”
Although Latta has encountered her fair share of dangerous encounters from being charged by elephants to having “a lion chase a wildebeest right through the middle of the tent [she] was in,” she’s eager to share her wildlife passion at her March 12 talk at the Shanghai International Literary Festival.
“When I talk at festivals, it’s so rewarding to inspire children to save endangered animals and to hear them say, ‘I want to do what you do when I grow up,’” she says. “I hope they find my presentation exciting and inspiring. I’m showing videos I’ve created in Borneo, India, Sri Lanka, Africa and some of my heart-stopping adventures in the wild. There will also be a Q&A about endangered animals.”
Latta’s excited to return to China, which she documented in Ping-Ping the Panda. She lauds the government’s recent ban on ivory and the global popularity of conservation efforts spearheaded by David Attenborough, Jane Goodall and the British royal family.
“There are some great charities where people can sponsor an animal to help the survival of the species. Through social media, there is an awareness if you wear an ivory bracelet, a beautiful elephant has died for that piece of jewelry. Also, hunters are being named and shamed for killing animals as a sport,” she says. “But, we have a long way to go to protect the endangered animals in the world.”
Mar 12, 10am, RMB85 (RMB40 for students). See listing for Glam. Tickets available at their website.The Shanghai International Literary Festival returns to M on the Bund from March 10-22, bringing together authors of all stripes. View the full schedule here. See more interviews with 2017 Shanghai Lit Festival authors here.
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