Join us at the British Club on the evening of the 17th October, to hear the amazing Jan Latta: author, wildlife photograph and self-publisher of 16 True to Life Books.

When Jan came face-to-face with a mountain gorilla in Rwanda, Africa, the experience changed her life when her guide said there were fewer than 600 mountain gorillas left in the wild. She wanted to do something to help, so she decided to create books for children on endangered animals. But first she had to become a wildlife photographer so she could tell the animal’s stories in true to life pictures.

To create her books, she travelled to Uganda for Dr Jane Goodall’s chimpanzees, India for the endangered tigers, Sri Lanka for the elusive leopards, the mountains of China for pandas, Borneo for orangutans, Costa Rica for sloths and eleven times to Africa following the big cats and the African animals.

She’s had many adventures and some near-death experiences. A cheetah came up to her in Africa, a lion chased a wildebeest through the mess tent while she was having dinner, a misunderstanding with a male orangutan in Borneo, playing with pandas in China, and learning primate behavior from a chimp called Mzee.

Jan realised the importance of creating exciting videos so the animals could be seen in action in the wild from the True to Life Books. The educational videos are popular with both children and adults.

She travels every year to give school and festival talks in the Asia Pacific region, giving special attention to saving rhinos and elephants. She’s been called a ‘matriarch’ a title she is very proud to accept.