Will I love The Puma Years?

After running into 5 mountain lions while hiking alone in the ancient redwood forests near my home, I was really blown away reading The Puma Years about Laura Coleman's relationships with the big cats. I cannot imagine getting as close to one of them as she does in her memoir about spending time in the middle of the jungle in Bolivia taking care of wild pumas. Set against a background of logging destruction of habitat and illegal wild animal poaching, the author valiantly tries to rehabilitate damaged pumas. The relationships she and her volunteer colleagues have with the big cats… show more.

This is essentially an exquisitely written love letter to a feisty wildcat Laura met at a Bolivian sanctuary. When I first picked up her captivating book, I was not only drawn by the stunning cover but because it resonated, since I’d been caring for big cats and other wild orphans at sanctuaries for years. She shares her story about her time working in a dilapidated wildlife refuge in the Amazon, set against a turbulent backdrop of deforestation and forest fires. Living in primitive conditions in the jungle with all its dangers, Laura forms enduring friendships with fellow volunteers and animals… show more.