Of Tigers and Men: Entering the Age of Extinction

by Richard Ives

Overview

Grippingly told, beautifully written, this powerful blend of travel and nature writing follows Richard Ives, naturalist and safari tour leader, as he travels in the footsteps of India's "tiger men", the heroic conservators who have been fighting a losing battle to save the animal they love. 15,000 prtint.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780385478168
Publisher:	Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Publication date:	01/01/1996
Edition description:	1st ed
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	6.03(w) x 8.57(h) x 1.20(d)

Editorial Reviews

A chance encounter with a former tiger hunter in Calcutta, India, inspired the author to search for wild tigers. The project took Ives, a naturalist and tour leader, to national parks in India, Nepal, Thailand and Sumatra over four years (1986-1990). He gives a vivid, gripping account of his travels and the people he met, and his report on tigers is disturbing. Ives learned that official estimates of tiger populations have been grossly inflated and that poaching for the lucrative Chinese market continues. In light of human population pressures and deforestation, the future appears bleak for the wild tiger. Ives believes the only way to preserve Asia's natural heritage is through international parks supported by the wealthier nations. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

On the trail of wild tigers in Southeast Asia, India, and Nepal, Ives (Notes on the Water Journals, Confluence, 1980) provides a stimulating account of the daunting problems faced by those who seek to save any species from extinction. The events recounted here draw on the journals Ives kept from 1986 to 1990. His chilling conclusion is pessimistic-tigers will be extinct in the wild within ten years. Ives sees trade sanctions as nothing more than a slap on the wrist to countries that deal in the trade of animal skins and body parts. He sees people such as Billy Arjan Singh and Valmik Thapar (both authors themselves) as heroes in the fight to save tigers-even though they are losing the battle. From the moment the authors take you on board the train in Calcutta to the moment they have you leave the taxi in Delhi, you will be swept along on a wonderful tale of adventure. You will travel roads that aren't easily traveled-but then, that is the point the author is making. The road to extinction is a long and arduous one. Recommended armchair travel for those with an interest in preservation of endangered species.-Edell Marie Schaefer, Brookfield P.L., Wis.

Library Journal