The Shark and the Albatross: A Wildlife Filmmaker Reveals Why Nature Matters to Us All

Aitchison, whose cinematography awards include an Emmy and a BAFTA, writes that filming wildlife in its tooth-and-claw glory reveals the very real struggle between humankind and the environment. To open this collection of wonderfully descriptive essays, he recounts the time he documented young albatrosses as they struggled to avoid the gaping maws of cruising sharks. Tempting though it was to take sides in this conflict, Aitchison writes that it was far more disturbing to see dead albatross chicks that had choked to death on plastic refuse. "The most important choice is not whether we prefer predators or prey," he writes, "it's whether we are on nature's side or against it: whether we want the shark and the albatross, or neither." Aitchison weaves this narrative thread through 14 chapters. His prose is clear and poetic as he describes running with wolf packs in Yellowstone National Park, witnessing a whale feeding frenzy in Alaska's northern sea, and encountering endangered tigers in India's dense forests, among other adventures around the globe. Throughout, Aitchison notes that observing wildlife highlights the precariousness of the natural world. This book will interest those drawn to filmmaking as well as to wildlife and the environment. (May)