Heart of the Jaguar
“In this thrilling memoir/history, Campbell discusses the evolution of the jaguar, its unique attributes and role it played in many Mesoamerican cultures, the rise of the jaguar conservation movement, his own explorations on the trail of the jaguar, and the hard work today of legions of people bringing Rabinowitz’s dream to reality.”
The jaguar—once roaming from North America to the tip of South America—is one of the most powerful and elusive predators on earth. Yet today, after a million years in the New World, it is fighting for survival, its range diminished and its future uncertain.
In Heart of the Jaguar, James Campbell tells the story of this struggle through the life of Alan Rabinowitz, the fearless conservationist whom Time magazine hailed as “the Indiana Jones of wildlife protection.” From his groundbreaking studies in the jungles of Belize and the Pantanal to his global campaign for the Jaguar Corridor Initiative, Rabinowitz made it his life’s mission to safeguard the species and the vast landscapes it inhabits.
Campbell retraces this journey across continents and centuries, from ancient temples and the myths of Indigenous peoples to today’s jaguar preserves, where scientists, community leaders, and activists continue the fight against poaching, deforestation, and climate change. Both a sweeping history and an intimate portrait of devotion, Heart of the Jaguar celebrates the people and places keeping alive the spirit of the most charismatic of the big cats—ensuring that the jaguar will always have a home in the wild.
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Critical Acclaim
An Outside magazine's Best Science Book of 2025
One of Colorado Public Radio's Books We Love in 2025
One of Mongabay's 10 notable books on conservation and the environment published in 2025
