Soul of the Rhino

Starred review from December 31, 2007
Mishra, formerly director of the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation in Nepal, began his career as a wildlife officer for Nepal\x92s Ministry of Forests in 1967, tracking rhinos through the forest of Chitwan and helping complete the ministry\x92s first rhino census. Determined to find ways to minimize the conflicts between humans and wildlife, particularly rhinos, Mishra studied at the University of Edinburgh and at America\x92s Yellowstone National Park before working with representatives of King Mahendra to establish Nepal\x92s national park system and implement programs that would help eliminate poaching and increase the rhino population; "wildlife tourism," for instance, not only increased awareness of animals, but helped relieve local poverty, a leading motivation behind poaching. Mishra\x92s account of his 30-year campaign to save the rhino in Nepal include stories of exotic Hindu-Buddhist rituals, royal hunts in the jungle and his relationship with the amazingly charismatic perissodactyls, which all contrast well with detailed accounts of political and diplomatic maneuvering. Mishra\x92s tone is unavoidably melancholy describing the rhino\x92s uncertain fate-especially the re-emergence of poaching-but the account of his worthy struggle is enchanting, even mesmerizing, throughout.

December 15, 2007
Mishra, winner of the J. Paul Getty Conservation Prize in 1987, was instrumental in developing Nepal's Royal Chitwan National Park, home to one of the last populations of the one-horned Asian rhinoceros (among other species). In this autobiographical history, he explains the roots and creation of this conservation program and the political and cultural differences that made its creation difficult. But what might have been a tantalizing tale is marred by inconsistencies and a lack of clear direction. Mishra's very descriptive prose is in certain parts of the book an asset, but he often goes further than necessary in the retelling of his adventures. The end result is a choppy, long-winded account with anecdotes unhelpful to the story's progression. Additionally, his narration takes readers back and forth through time, which makes unclear the actual order of events. A book of subpar quality; not recommended unless significant edits occur before its finalization.Kyrille Goldbeck, Virginia Polytechnic Inst. & State Univ. Lib., Blacksburg

Copyright 2007 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 1, 2007
Scientist and internationally acclaimed conservationist Mishra adeptly tells the joyful and tragic tale of his commitment to protecting the rhinos of Nepal, a ?royal animal? and a favorite target for poachers. New on the job as a ?city boy? and college graduate in 1967, Mishra listens carefully to Tapsi, a flinty elephant driver with intimate knowledge of the enormous yet graceful one-horned rhinos sheltered in Nepal's Chitwan National Park. Decades and countless adventures later, Mishra can point to many successes, having learned to walk the line between indigenous beliefs and scientific methodology. Mishra's charmingly anecdotal and covertly informative chronicle embraces the mystery of nature and spiritual practices, including a ritualized royal rhino hunt, after which participants enter the purified body of the sacrificed rhino. But Mishra also shares his anguish as hard-won conservation advances come catastrophically undone in the violent aftermath of the massacre of the Nepalese royal family in 2001. Mishra's disquieting tale of the sustained battle to save an ancient and magnificent species ruthlessly hunted for spurious medicinal purposes dramatically reveals the complications, danger, and urgency of wildlife protection.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2007, American Library Association.)