Of Tigers and Men

January 1, 1996
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.

Starred review from January 1, 1996
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.

February 1, 1996
%% This is a multi-book review: SEE also the title "Swamp Screamer." %% The panther and the tiger may soon become extinct, and these author/adventurers explored the haunts of the cool cats before they disappear forever.Known as the cougar elsewhere in North America, Florida's panther has been hemmed in by roads, sugar plantations, and Miami sprawl. Fergus ventured to the last refuges where about 50 cats hang on, monitored by biologists and veterinarians with whom Fergus tagged along as they tagged their quarry with radio transmitters. Fergus seems quite impressed by the field workers for he spends much coverage on their backgrounds, work with panthers, and encounters with federal bureaucracies handling the panther's plight. Still, he is acutely sensitive to the habits and habitat of the panther, portraying them in vibrant verbal hues. Fergus "at large" is accurate: a roving emcee of the panther show, he presents all views and keeps up interest by mixing personalities, anecdotes, and science.Ives' journey is more personal, less eclectic. It starts in Calcutta, where he meets his "informant," an aloof and anonymous (to us, not to Ives) Indian. Although wary of each other (the meeting of strangers being a subtheme of this nature travelogue), they share an interest in seeing the vanishing Bengal tiger; after Ives evocatively narrates the encounter on the subcontinent, he travels to Nepal and Sumatra for a repeat performance. Mood--of tropical languor and imminent danger--means more than story here, and for readers reaching for the feeling of staring a tiger in the eye, without a zoo barrier in between, Ives succeeds marvelously. ((Reviewed Feb. 1, 1996))(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 1996, American Library Association.)