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That Bear Ate My Pants! Adventures of a Real Idiot Abroad (Adventure Without End) Paperback – December 12, 2012

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**THE AMAZON #1 MEMOIR, #1 HUMOR AND #1 TRAVEL BESTSELLER**

There comes a time in every man’s life when he says to himself, "Good grief! I’m about to be eaten by a bear!"

24-year-old Englishman Tony James Slater went to Ecuador, determined to become a real man.
It never occurred to him that 'or die trying' might be an option…

The trouble with volunteering in a South American animal refuge is that everything wants a piece of you. And the trouble with being Tony, is that most of them got one.

Just how do you 'look after' something that’s trying its damnedest to kill you and eat you?

And how do you find love when you a) don’t speak the language, and b) are constantly covered in excrement and entrails?

If only he’d had some relevant experience. Other than owning a pet rabbit when he was nine. And if only he’d bought some travel insurance...

That Bear Ate My Pants is the incredible TRUE story of one man's struggle to survive in an Ecuadorian animal refuge. Whether losing a machete fight with a tree, picking dead tarantulas out of a tank of live ones or sewing the head back on to a partially decapitated crocodile, Tony’s misadventures are ridiculous, unbelievable and always entertaining.

If you love animals, you’ll adore this hilarious and heart-warming tale of big cats, mischievous monkeys, and the humans that try to rescue them.

Grab your copy of That Bear Ate My Pants today, for an adventure you’ll never forget.

**That Bear Ate My Pants is the first book in the Adventure Without End series. All these books are stand-alone, and can be read singly or together, in any order**

What readers are saying about That Bear Ate My Pants:

"…I laughed so hard I was screaming…"
"…move over Bill Bryson, there's a new talent on the block…"
"…Warning, do not read this book in a public place!"
"…witty, delightful, heart-rending, and just all-round enjoyable in every respect."
“…I am much more into mysteries and paranormal type stuff, but this has got to be one of the best books I have ever read!”
"…touching, tender, always funny, I laughed out loud, almost peed myself, and cried…"
"…I've recommended it to everyone I know. Now I'm recommending it to people I don't know!"
"…when I finished the book I actually shed a few tears because I was so sorry the story had ended…"
“Just read it. You won't find a story like it.”

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I laughed all through the book until the end, where I became sad to have to say goodbye. I enjoyed myself that much." - Night Owl Reviews

"The narrative in That Bear Ate My Pants was not only well-written and entertaining but downright hilarious. I have not laughed so hard while reading in quite a while. And when I mean laugh, I mean I laughed so hard I was screaming. Warning, do not read this book while on the toilet." - Indie Eclective

About the Author

Tony James Slater is a very, very strange man. He believes himself to be indestructible, despite considerable evidence to the contrary. He is often to be found making strange faces whilst pretending to be attacked by inanimate objects. And sometimes - not always, but often enough to be of concern - his testicles hang out of the holes in his trousers. It is for this reason (amongst others) that he chooses to spend his life far from mainstream civilization, tackling ridiculous challenges and subjecting himself to constant danger. He gets hurt quite a lot.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (December 12, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 326 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1481155377
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1481155373
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.05 pounds
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.25 x 0.82 x 8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,045,014 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #431 in Traveler & Explorer Biographies
- #2,475 in Travelogues & Travel Essays
- #16,880 in Classic Literature & Fiction

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3,914 ratings

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Tony James Slater

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Tony James Slater is an unusual combination of science-fiction author and travel-memoir writer.

He is a very, very strange man. He believes himself to be indestructible, despite considerable evidence to the contrary. He is often to be found making strange faces whilst pretending to be attacked by inanimate objects. But perhaps his biggest problem is this: he has a mouth so big he is at risk of swallowing his own head.

It is for this reason (amongst others) that he chooses to spend his life far from mainstream civilization, tackling ridiculous challenges and subjecting himself to constant danger. He gets hurt quite a lot.

For more information, or to complain about his shameless self promotion, please visit: www.TonyJamesSlater.com

But BE WARNED! Some of the writing is in red.

Tony LOVES it when you make contact - it makes him feel a little less lonely in this big ole' world.

You can follow him on Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/TonyJamesSlater

You can harass him on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TonyJamesSlater

And he blogs about how ridiculous his life is at: http://www.AdventureWithoutEnd.com

Please come and hang out, send a message or throw something sticky. But preferably not a stick...

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3,914 global ratings

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Customers say

Customers find the book laugh-out-loud funny, with one noting the dead-pan delivery of the funniest parts. Moreover, the writing style is easy to read, and the stories are true, making them more enjoyable. Additionally, the book offers an interesting perspective on life and features engaging characters, with customers particularly enjoying the stories about the animals in the refuge. However, some customers find the book boring and not worth their time.

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Humor Readability Story quality Writing style Pacing Animal love Character development Time spent

554 customers mention "Humor"554 positive0 negative

Customers find the book humorous, with laugh-out-loud moments throughout. One customer notes that the funniest parts are delivered in a deadpan style.

"I loved the book. It was funny, clever, different and refreshing...." Read more

"...I believe he has found it in writing. This book is truly humorous writing, and besides being funny it is also quite descriptive and memorable...." Read more

"...It was great. Some chapters were funny, and some made me laugh out loud and pee my pants! It was also nice that the language isn’t too course...." Read more

"...That Bear Ate My Pants! was good for a chuckle, and I recommend it to fans of humorous animal stories and travel memoirs." Read more

330 customers mention "Readability"330 positive0 negative

Customers find the book delightful and likeable, describing it as a must-read.

"I loved the book. It was funny, clever, different and refreshing...." Read more

"...is truly humorous writing, and besides being funny it is also quite descriptive and memorable...." Read more

"...It was great. Some chapters were funny, and some made me laugh out loud and pee my pants! It was also nice that the language isn’t too course...." Read more

"...The animal anecdotes are the backbone of the book, and definitely the best parts...." Read more

256 customers mention "Story quality"252 positive4 negative

Customers enjoy the stories in the book, noting they are true and make them more enjoyable to read.

"I loved the book. It was funny, clever, different and refreshing...." Read more

"...out loud moments, but at the same time it is written in a very real, honest and down to earth manner and I loved that...." Read more

"...then read the book. Its a true story, of a young man out on his first adventure, as he makes his way to south America to volunteer as a worker at an..." Read more

"...I'm so glad the author shared this adventure!..." Read more

211 customers mention "Writing style"159 positive52 negative

Customers appreciate the writing style of the book, finding it descriptive and easy to read, with one customer describing it as a delightful travel log.

"...It was also nice that the language isn’t too course. Read and enjoy." Read more

"...has laugh out loud moments, but at the same time it is written in a very real, honest and down to earth manner and I loved that...." Read more

"...Ate My Pants" IS funny because Tony James Slater creates marvelous pictures with his words...." Read more

"...a lot of reviewers have pointed out already -- yes, this book has quite a bit of cursing...." Read more

149 customers mention "Pacing"143 positive6 negative

Customers appreciate the book's pacing, finding it enlightening and thought-provoking, with one customer noting how it draws readers into a very different world.

"I loved the book. It was funny, clever, different and refreshing...." Read more

"...sort of way that makes you believe that YOU could travel to cool, fascinating, remote places and not just survive but have a plethora of kick ass..." Read more

"...This book is wonderfully descriptive and just draws you in. There is a slight part in the middle that I felt bogged down the book a bit...." Read more

"I loved Tony's positive outlook, his encounters with these wild and often severely damaged beloved animals, his sense of humor in dealing with the..." Read more

56 customers mention "Animal love"56 positive0 negative

Customers love the stories about the animals in the book, finding them interesting and wonderful to learn about.

"...The animal anecdotes are the backbone of the book, and definitely the best parts...." Read more

"...You will lose your heart to the animals and thank God that there are real people who care enough to volunteer to help them." Read more

"...I couldn't put down this book! I loved reading about all the animals and the somewhat misadventures of Tony as he cared for them along with the..." Read more

"...However, I was interested in his story and I was impressed with his love of animals. You don't find that often in a 23 year old male...." Read more

35 customers mention "Character development"35 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the character development in the book, finding the characters engaging and well-portrayed, with one customer highlighting the colorful cast of coworkers.

"...but here the writing was entertaining enough -- and Tony's voice engaging enough -- that I was willing to overlook the profanity...." Read more

"...Instead it's just a very good portrayal of how things are. Definitely, definitely recommended without reservations!" Read more

"...Tony Slater's voice is absolutely his own, he is self-deprecating and funny, blokey but slightly refined at the same time...." Read more

"This book was a crazy, wild ride that included animals that I never heard of before...." Read more

45 customers mention "Time spent"7 positive38 negative

Customers find the book boring and disappointing, with the storyline failing to capture their interest.

"...for the book to be done at around the 2/3 point, as the storyline itself seemed to bog down to the point where the animal tales struggled to carry..." Read more

"...But for him to finish this book, despite it not being the best book ever written, but then to also add a website and a blog to it, I feel that I can..." Read more

"...my sides hurt funny; but the second half morphed into an ultra-boring draw-out love story that frankly had no humor and dragged for an additional..." Read more

"...Can’t speak the language, totally unprepared, immature and dumb but very funny...." Read more

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Miss Betsy
Laugh out loud!
Reviewed in the United States on March 30, 2025
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I loved the book. It was funny, clever, different and refreshing. I have bought it two more times as gifts for friends who are needing some cheering up!

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A Constant Reader
Got this for free, what a great surprise it turned out to be
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2023
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I paid nothing for this and expected little more from it - I am very pleasantly surprised. The author claims to have been searching for his calling in life. I believe he has found it in writing. This book is truly humorous writing, and besides being funny it is also quite descriptive and memorable. It isn't knee-slapping funny, just very good (and sometimes subtle) humor. My only complaint is that I would like to know more about several of the people he says he has encountered, and more about many of the events. Since I am now indebted to Mr. Slater, I guess I will have to buy some of his other books. BTW it is unusual for me to rate 4 or 5 stars, and I leaned toward 3 for this, but I find myself thinking back on it, so it's better than that.

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3 people found this helpful

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J. Simon
very funny and heartwarming read
Reviewed in the United States on April 16, 2025
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I was looking for a lighthearted funny read and came across That Bear Ate My Pants. It was great. Some chapters were funny, and some made me laugh out loud and pee my pants! It was also nice that the language isn’t too course. Read and enjoy.

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P. Christopher Colter
A Fun, Light Read for Fans of Animals or Travel Memoirs
Reviewed in the United States on February 1, 2013
Verified Purchase
I work with animals for a living, so That Bear Ate My Pants! was a no-brainer reading selection for me. It's the story of twenty-something Tony Slater, a British guy who spends a year volunteering at an animal refuge in Ecuador. He was looking for some adventure, and certainly seems to have gotten it during his time at Santa Martha.

Throughout the book, Slater describes with good-humor the widely varied experiences he had with animals such as a lovable but stubborn bear, a battalion of turtles with loose bowels, an overweight puma, and a sick crocodile in need of stitches and twice-daily antibiotics. The animal anecdotes are the backbone of the book, and definitely the best parts. Slater's descriptions and witty commentary made what would have already been interesting events even more entertaining.

Slater also writes frequently about his supervisors, fellow volunteers, and labor at Santa Martha in That Bear Ate My Pants!, but I sometimes found my interest flagging during these episodes, particularly when describing the more difficult people and complicated projects. A subplot involving his affair with a woman he met in a nearby town never really went anywhere in my opinion as well. I was ready for the book to be done at around the 2/3 point, as the storyline itself seemed to bog down to the point where the animal tales struggled to carry it.

That Bear Ate My Pants! was good for a chuckle, and I recommend it to fans of humorous animal stories and travel memoirs.

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15 people found this helpful

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Kenya Starflight
Hilarious and touching account of work on a wildlife reserve
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2014
Verified Purchase
With a title like "That Bear Ate My Pants," how could I pass this one up? It didn't hurt that it was billed as a humor book, or that it was about a man working on a wildlife reserve -- I love animals, and having grown up around them I can attest that there can be plenty of hilarity in dealing with them on a regular basis. The fact that this was a free e-book at the time I downloaded it didn't exactly hurt either...

As a lot of reviewers have pointed out already -- yes, this book has quite a bit of cursing. But if you can get past the swear words, it's a clever and hilarious account of one man's efforts to make a difference.

Tony is an aspiring actor who, in an effort to find himself, flies from his native London to faraway Ecuador to volunteer at the Santa Martha wildlife rehabilitation center. There he finds said center is half-farm, half-reserve, a ramshackle collection of buildings and (badly) handbuilt pens housing everything from monkeys to ocelots to a rambunctious bear to the world's fattest puma. Tony butts heads with both fellow volunteers (the friendly and earnest but annoyingly vegetarian-minded Toby, the spoiled rich girl Layla, the feisty Irish sisters Emer and Marie, and others) and the reserve's permanent workers (including stern owner Johnny and machete-happy Jimmy), gets bitten and scratched at least once by every resident animal, adopts the world's stupidest dog, romances a native woman despite their language barrier, and otherwise finds himself hopelessly out of his element in a faraway land. But over the course of his stay he'll find himself developing strong bonds with the animals and his fellow workers... and learn a few things about himself in the process.

As I've stated before, Tony swears quite a bit in the writing of this book. I know this is a deal-breaker for many readers, and I usually don't like books where every other word is the F-word (one of the reasons I hated "Julie and Julia"), but here the writing was entertaining enough -- and Tony's voice engaging enough -- that I was willing to overlook the profanity. Still, other potential readers might appreciate a word of warning.

Beyond that, this book was both hilarious and oddly touching. Every animal in the book seems to want a piece of Tony, and yet he finds himself growing attached to them all, whether it's the caiman that tries to take a piece of his finger to the bear who loves to pull the plug on her artificial pond just to watch the workers refill it over and over again. He touches on the problems and heartbreaks of trying to rehabilitate an animal to return it to the wild, but also the rewards of all that hard work. And he has the good sense to find humor in even the worst situations, and find a laugh at his own expense. In that respect, his work reminds me of a somewhat more irreverent Bill Bryson, another travel author whose work I enjoy.

I found myself giggling too many times to count reading this book, and I'd gladly read it again. And I know I'll be reading the other two books by this author. Highly recommended if you're a Bill Bryson fan or just love animals.

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54 people found this helpful

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A thoroughly joyful read!
Reviewed in the United States on January 29, 2022
Verified Purchase
I loved this book. It is entertaining, has laugh out loud moments, but at the same time it is written in a very real, honest and down to earth manner and I loved that. It felt like I was there, Tony pulls you into his world and to me those are the best reads. I recommended this book, all his books actually, to all my family and friends with an excited heart to have found another gem to read 😁

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Bücherwurm
Vielleicht kein guter Schauspieler aber guter Geschichtenerzähler
Reviewed in Germany on September 7, 2014
Verified Purchase

Humorvoller und selbstironischer Bericht des jungen Engländers. Trotz diverser eher schräger Geschichten bekommt man einen Eindruck vom Tierschutz (und Leben) in Equador.

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Wendy
interesting and amusing
Reviewed in Australia on December 6, 2023
Verified Purchase
This is an entertaining, humorous story. There were a couple of times I laughed out loud while reading it. I enjoyed this story of Tony who went from England to an overseas wildlife rescue park in Ecuador and all the funny, interesting and sad things that happened.

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Mr. C. McNish
Unbelievably funny, wonderfully inspiring
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on February 22, 2012
Verified Purchase
Before I acquired my kindle, this is a writing genre I wouldn't have looked twice at. 'That Bear Ate My Pants!' appealed to me for two simple reasons; its title, and also the fact it was free. And now that I've finished reading it, I'm left wondering what I've possibly been missing out on.

This has got to be one of the best books I've ever read. It has everything; humour - in huge doses, drama, sadness and even romance. But what really sets it apart is its passion and belief for a cause. It isn't merely the relaying of a number of anecdotes and explanations, but the story of many intertwined lives - human and animal - and how each affects the other. Its easy-going style of writing is hugely appealing; there are many expletives, but none of it is gratuitous - it simply reminds you that this is real life and just keeps you turning the pages, wanting to know more.

The one thing I did find truly outstanding as I read was the author's growing respect for everything, including the country itself; things often classed as important became little other than materialistic at best and so he adapted accordingly, with other simplicities such as arriving home in the dark unannounced making him blatantly aware he was now in a place that it could cost him his life. I have no doubt in my mind your perception of many things will change while you are reading this fascinating story that you just want to become absorbed in. If nothing else, it'll make you think 'I want to do that...' for a while.

A truly inspirational read, and a must if you're already planning to do something similar yourself.

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Ushie
Great Read
Reviewed in Canada on November 27, 2023
Verified Purchase
The book is fantastic and I intend to read more by this author. His year in a South American country working at an animal rescue shelter is very funny but eye opening as well.

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Prathi
Entertaining
Reviewed in India on June 9, 2021
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It's an unknown lifestyle to me.Going to stay with real wild animals and most of them unknown to us .had to Google for many animals like spiral monkey and ocelots,which are nonexistent in India. Throughly enjoyed reading it in this time of covid. Light yet experiencing interesting lifestyle.

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That Bear Ate My Pants! Adventures of a Real Idiot Abroad (Adventure Without End) Paperback – December 12, 2012

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There comes a time in every man’s life when he says to himself, "Good grief! I’m about to be eaten by a bear!"

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5.0 out of 5 stars Laugh out loud!

4.0 out of 5 stars Got this for free, what a great surprise it turned out to be

5.0 out of 5 stars very funny and heartwarming read

3.0 out of 5 stars A Fun, Light Read for Fans of Animals or Travel Memoirs

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious and touching account of work on a wildlife reserve

4.0 out of 5 stars A thoroughly joyful read!

Top reviews from other countries

5.0 out of 5 stars Vielleicht kein guter Schauspieler aber guter Geschichtenerzähler

5.0 out of 5 stars interesting and amusing

5.0 out of 5 stars Unbelievably funny, wonderfully inspiring

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Read

5.0 out of 5 stars Entertaining

Laugh out loud!

Got this for free, what a great surprise it turned out to be

very funny and heartwarming read

A Fun, Light Read for Fans of Animals or Travel Memoirs

Hilarious and touching account of work on a wildlife reserve

A thoroughly joyful read!

Vielleicht kein guter Schauspieler aber guter Geschichtenerzähler

interesting and amusing

Unbelievably funny, wonderfully inspiring

Great Read

Entertaining