Jonathan travelled overland from London to South Africa in 1974 and has lived in Kenya since 1976. He has spent much of the last few years on safari in East Africa, primarily in the Masai Mara National Game Reserve in south west Kenya and the Serengeti National Park in northern Tanzania, which together form the greatest stronghold of predators and prey anywhere in Africa.

Moving to Kenya
From 1977 to 1981 Jonathan lived at Mara River Camp just outside the northern boundary of the Masai Mara Reserve. In those early years Jonathan acted as a guide and naturalist for visitors to the camp, gradually getting to know the best places to look for wildlife, particularly the big cats that had always fascinated him. He had always loved drawing and over the years has successfully published his own limited edition prints of his pen and ink drawings. In 1981 Jonathan moved to Kichwa Tembo tented camp where he was the resident naturalist until 1991.

Travelling in Africa
Between 1982 and 1984 Jonathan travelled to Ethiopia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia as a co-presenter for the popular American television series Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom. By the time Jonathan's second book was published in 1985 he was confidant enough to write the text himself. The Leopard's Tale was the first detailed account of a wild leopard and her cubs, providing a unique insight into the life of these enigmatic predators.

Antarctic summers
In 1992 Jonathan and his wife Angie (who is also a wildlife photographer) made their first journey together to Antarctica as guest lecturers on the Explorer, an expedition cruise ship, and over the last ten years have returned nearly every year aboard the little red ship during the Antarctic summer, visiting the Antarctic Peninsula, the Falkland Islands and South Georgia. Given the chance, Jonathan and Angie would spend their days in Africa and their nights in Antarctica (but only during the summer!) where the sun takes forever to set and pops back up again a few hours later.

Wild things
Between 1997 and 1999 Jonathan and Angie travelled around the world presenting segments for Wild Things, an American wildlife series created by Paramount Productions. They visited Australia, Nepal, India, Indonesia, Alaska, Uganda and Tanzania, filming saltwater crocodiles, one-horned rhinos, tigers, komodo dragons, orang-utans, grizzly bears and gorillas.

African Diaries
Since 1996, Jonathan has co-presented Big Cat Diary and Big Cat Week, reporting on the daily lives of the Masai Mara's three species of big cat. Angela has been both photographer and advisor on the series.

In 2004–5, Jonathan embarked on a year of filming for Elephant Diaries. The series follows the rescue of orphaned elephants by The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, their rehabilitation and ultimately their hazardous reintroduction to the wild.

Jonathan is a Patron of the Rhino Ark (UK) and of AMREF (the Flying Doctor) and is on the Editorial Board of the East African Wildlife Society.

Television 1981 Ambush at Masai Mara 1982–84 Wild Kingdom 1985 Nature Watch 1989 Africa Watch 1995 Flamingo Watch 1996 Dawn to Dusk 1996–present Big Cat Diary/Week 1997–99 Wild Things 2005 Elephant Diaries

Publications 1981 Souvenir to African Birds 1982 The Marsh Lions (co-author Brian Jackman) 1985 The Leopard's Tale 1985 Know Kenya's Animals 1988 The Great Migration 1991 Painted Wolves: Wild Dogs Of The Serengeti-Mara 1991 The Leopard Family Book 1992 Kingdom of Lions 1996 Dawn to Dusk 1996 The Big Cat Diary (co-author Brian Jackman) 1997 Jonathan Scott's Safari Guide to East African Animals (co-author Angela Scott) 1997 Jonathan Scott's Safari Guide to East African Birds (co-author Angela Scott) 2000 Mara-Serengeti: A Photographer's Paradise (co-author Angela Scott) 2002 Big Cat Diary: Lion (co-author Angela Scott) 2003 Big Cat Diary: Leopard (co-author Angela Scott) 2004 Big Cat Diary: Cheetah (co-author Angela Scott)