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Ostensibly a fifty-two day tour, taking in research into primates and lions, this book offers several insights into not only the social life and behaviour of these animals, and the glorious beauty of the savannahs and rainforests they inhabit, but also the fieldwork involved in such studies. Throughout, Packer grapples with questions he has tried to answer for more than twenty years. Why do female lions raise their young in creches? Why do male baboons move from troop to troop while male chimps band together? How can humans and animals continue to coexist in a world of diminishing resources? Packer's ability to see our own species through the insights gained observing others is part of what fascinates him and his readers, and part of what makes this book so readable. The paperback edition contains a new postscript, outlining developments since the hardback edition came into print.