A DEBUT York author has published a book about his African adventures and is donating the money to cancer charities.

Karl Aston, 75, of Wigginton, has published his first book, ‘Homo Habilis’, which translates as, ‘Early Man’, a light hearted yet historical account based on his travels to Tanzania, East Africa, in 1990.

After working in the health service for 33 years, and now living with cancer, Karl has decided to donate all the money earned from his book to health charities, such as York Against Cancer.

Karl said: “I answered an advert to join a group of bird watchers, and recorded the trip on an audio tape and a basic camera, which I used to relive the trip as I wrote from memory.”

Mr Aston always had a keen interest in animals and their habitats, and enjoys visits to Chester Zoo, but had always wanted to see them in reality.

“Its a very emotional feeling to see the animals in the distance - the black rhino that stood on the savannah, thousands of wildebeests like dots on the horizon, the pink fire of the three to four million flamingos as they flew up in a dust storm.

“I learned how the country protected and preserved the delicate loss of habitats, and the problem of poaching the rhino horn and the elephant tusk 30 years ago.”

He had said that he is ‘ok and fairly stable’ as he battles his cancer diagnosis with the help of his consultants, and wanted to support cancer charities through his book sales.

“I’ve always wanted to write a book, and it feels fantastic - my son is so proud of it, my granddaughter can’t wait to get a copy.”

‘Homo Habilis: My Tanzanian Adventure’ is available on Amazon and bookshops now.