This book tells the story of "Cheetal Walk"; the house built in the jungles at the foot of the Nilgiri hills by the noted conservationist E.R.C. Davidar. It surveys the ecological changes in one of the most wildlife-rich areas of the subcontinent, analyzes the impact of modernization on the inhabitants of the Nilgiris, both people and animals, and sheds light on the conservation efforts of one of the oldest Indian voluntary organizations, the Nilgiri Wildlife Association. 
This captivating account of living in harmony with the wilderness is interwoven with numerous colorful anecdotes. The shooting of a rogue elephant, the joys of Mahseer fishing, and the excitement of boar hunting and staking are vividly recounted. But this is not a story about shikar; the focus is on observation and conservation. The author draws on his personal experiences with a place, its wildlife and its people to provide rigorous accounts of its flora and fauna and to make important ecological observations. The elephant, the tiger, the gaur, the Nilgiri tahr, the wild dog, the hyena are some of the animals in this part of the peninsula described here there are accounts of individual elephants that trace their history over several years. These are not only entertaining; they constitute valuable ecological documentation - as in the unique description of the habits of the hyena. 
This personal account of a man's interaction with a unique environment poses anew the question of whether the limited use of the fauna as in regulated hunting is preferable to total protection by governments. More crucially, it throws into sharp relief the extent of change in hill ecology and tribal society wrought by the new forms of communication and exploitation.