A VET from Broughton who has helped look after the world's oldest living land animal has written a book about his time spent working overseas.
Jonathan Hollins has been a senior veterinary surgeon for over 40 years and since the mid-2000s, Jonathan has worked in the British Overseas Territories of the South Atlantic.
The 66-year-old has a home in St Helena where he has helped to look after a variety of land and sea animals, including the world's oldest living land animal, Jonathan the Giant Tortoise, who is thought to have hatched in 1832 making him nearly 190-years-old.
Now Jonathan has written a book, Vet at the End of the Earth, about his experiences, which has been published by Duckworth Books.
MOST READ: Test Valley Borough Council keeping millions of unspent developer contributions
Jonathan, who was the first stationed vet from the UK in the South Atlantic, said his journeys and tales over the past two decades had been 'fascinating', starting at the Falkland Islands before moving on to St Helena, Ascension Island, George Island and Tristan De Cunha.
His travels led him to treat a wide variety of animals, with different needs, cultures and lifestyles on individual islands keeping Jonathan on his toes.
He said: "No two islands are the same, and the variety in what is expected from a vet based on where you are is unbelievable.
"I actually originally moved here to fill in for a friend who had been doing the same job, but soon after I was offered to stay, and spent a great deal of time in the South Atlantic.
"The work there was so diverse and I treated a range of animals and issues, from horses, sheep, and fish, to domestic animals like cats and dogs. It's been a fantastic role and has made a massive difference in improving animal welfare and care in that part of the world."
SEE ALSO: Borough council awarded £18.3m to build new theatre and cultural hub in Andover
Jonathan made a number of documentaries on the islands for BBC Radio 3 and 4, after which he was approached by literary agents Peter, Fraser and Dunlop to write a book by about the islands.
The book logs Jonathan's journeys and adventures in the South Atlantic, detailing some of the amazing, to downright bizarre incidents he found himself working in.
Jonathan said: "I think if this book would be a diary of my life, it would be one of the most boring books in the world!
"In essence, the chapters of the book are made up of my experiences and things I have done during my time on these islands. The islands and their people are different and quirky, but that's what makes and keeps the job exciting and interesting. The islands are remote and are a tyranny of isolation, but that creates special, unique people.
"As a vet, you end up being stretched quite thin, as you have to do all aspects of the role yourself, so the book tries to marry the beautiful landscape, interesting clinical cases and the amazing people into hopefully an enjoyable read.
"It's my travel log, with some good humour and sad moments along the way, but a great opportunity and one I'm thrilled to be able to get down on the page."
More information on Jonathan, including how to purchase his book, can be found at jonathanhollins.co.uk.
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here