Author/illustrator Jin Sheng shares 40 years of stories from the frontlines of wildlife conservation. Covering the birth of Taiwan’s conservation movement to the present day, his heartfelt prose and whimsical illustrations are a call to action, awakening our concern for the animals with whom we share our planet.

The 40 years since the establishment of Taiwan’s first wildlife conservation laws have seen incredible progress: a new branch of government, the creation of national parks, active citizen groups, and advances in academic study of the ecology and environment. Despite these positive signs, human encroachment into wild spaces still poses a threat to the survival of many species in Taiwan. With chapters focused on critical years in the efforts to protect individual species, The Otter and Other Wild Lives is both a chronological record of conservation efforts and a catalog of some of Taiwan’s most intriguing wildlife.

Watercolor illustrations by author Jin Sheng accompany each chapter, providing a whimsical counterpoint to his sober, heartfelt prose. Animals highlighted include leopard cats, horseshoe crabs, white dolphins, Eastern grass owls, pygmy killer whales, Asian black bears, and pangolins. Blending journalistic-style coverage of general developments in wildlife conservation with stories from the frontlines of animal rescue and rehabilitation, The Otter and Other Wild Lives is sure to inspire greater concern for the wild creatures that share our planet.