Winner of the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Fiction

Finalist for the B.C. National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction and the Edna Staebler Prize for Creative Non-Fiction and a Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year

National Bestseller

One magical summer, primatologist and author Andrew Westoll lived and worked at the Fauna Sanctuary, a refuge for thirteen chimpanzees rescued from a medical research lab. The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary is Westoll's vivid account of his adventures as a volunteer caregiver in the chimphouse and a heart-wrenching biography of its residents. Through Westoll's eyes, we witness the chimps' remarkable recovery first-hand. Simple things like establishing friendships, nurturing alliances, grooming one another and playing games of tickle-chase are all poignant testament to the capacity of these animals to heal—and to learn how to be chimps again.

ANDREW WESTOLL is an award-winning narrative journalist and internationally published author. A former biologist and primatologist, his books include The Riverbones, a travel memoir set in the jungles of Suriname, and The Chimps Of Fauna Sanctuary, which was a national bestseller and winner of the Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction. The Jungle South of the Mountain is his first novel.

Andrew Westoll's profile page

• Edna Staebler Award for Creative Non-Fiction
• Charles Taylor Prize for Literary Non-Fiction
• British Columbia National Award for Canadian Non-Fiction
• CBC Canada Reads
• Amazon.ca Best Book of the Year
• Globe and Mail Best Book of the Year
• CBA Libris Award for Non-Fiction
• Quill & Quire Best Book

“Andrew Westoll is a born story teller: The Chimps of Fauna Sanctuary, written with empathy and skill, tenderness and humour, involves us in a world few understand. And leaves us marveling at the ways in which chimpanzees are so like us, deserve our help and are entitled to our respect.” — Jane Goodall, DBE

“Riveting. . . . Andrew Westoll provides an opera of dramatic events, heart-rending tragedies and uplifting triumphs. For anyone interested in empathy and recovery, his book is required reading.” — The Globe and Mail

“Revealing and fascinating.” — National Post

“Only the most intransigent heart will be unmoved.” — Quill & Quire

“A distressing, deeply important exposé of the suffering we have inflicted on our closest animal relation, the ethics of animal testing, and finally (and happily) a heartening picture of Fauna Sanctuary’s commitment and compassion.” — Publishers Weekly

“With compelling realism, recalling both Graham Greene and Joseph Conrad, Andrew Westoll tells a riveting story of loss and redemption in the jungles of South America. [The Jungle South of the Mountain]” — Yann Martel

“Drawn into sharp focus by Westoll’s beautiful writing, the jungle and its animal inhabitants become characters in their own right. . . . This is a haunting story so impressively told; an evocative and absorbing first novel.” [The Jungle South of the Mountain] — Amy Stuart, author of Still Mine

“The Jungle South of the Mountain is a gripping study of foreignness, whether it be within relationships, geographies, or even between species. Andrew Westoll’s first novel is as engaging as it is thoughtful.” — Andrew Pyper, author of The Damned and The Demonologist

“A captivating story, set in an original and fascinating world rich in authentic detail. [The Jungle South of the Mountain]” — Cecilia Ekback, author of Wolf Winter

“A fascinating read, beautifully written, and with a gripping story.” — SJ Watson, author of Before I Go to Sleep