He’s a very interesting fellow. He’s a qualified biologist, a pretty good historian (and, sometimes, a pseudo historian), and a damn good writer.
I disagree with him on some things, such as fur trapping and the merits of regulated hunting, but on the basics arguments of politics, the environment, and the thrill of experiencing nature, we aren’t that far apart.
His work has argued against the persecution of wolves, which you may know from his famous book, Never Cry Wolf. (Yes, it was made into a Disney film, and it’s not great biology. It is good nature writing.) He has also written a great compendium of Western Man’s destruction of our native species in the North Atlantic coast of North America in what I consider to be his greatest work–The Sea of Slaughter.
He’s well-known for his love Labradors. Last I read, he had a Lab-BC cross.
And he writes a lot about the people of Newfoundland and their dogs.
I think this was filmed in the Magdalen Islands, where he once spent his summers. He was known for sneaking up on gray seals that frequent those beaches.
He’s recently donated his home and property on Cape Breton to the Nova Scotia Nature Trust.
If I could only write half as well as he does, I might be able to make something of myself.
Sigh, I too wish I could write like Farley Mowat!
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20081212.wmowat1213/BNStory/Entertainment/home
That’s about his last book.
I hope it’s not.