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Loading... Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival (original 2010; edition 2011)by John Vaillant
Work InformationThe Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival by John Vaillant (2010)
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Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. No current Talk conversations about this book. In the eastern reaches of Russia, the endangered Siberian tiger tries to survive. Panthera tigris tigris, considered to be the largest tiger. But will it survive the onslaughts of an ignorant humanity? And, in this story, will its wardens survive the same ignorance and inhumanity? ( ) A nonfiction story of a series of tiger attacks in eastern Russia, the investigative team that tracked the tiger, and the culture surrounding the hunting and worship of tigers throughout history in the area. I enjoyed it, but I think the balance between the story at hand and the historical and cultural background information was a little off, or maybe just not quite structured well. Overall, though, a good read and a really interesting topic. You can't be an animal lover and not admire Siberian Tigers. They are such beautiful, powerful, and magnigfecent animals. But after reading this book by John Vaillant I came away with a profound sense of, lets call it awe, of just how truly amazing Siberian Tigers are. I also admired the way Valliant told this story. At it's core it is the true story of a man eating tiger and the men who valiantly hunted him down. And in that sense it's a book that belongs in the nature section of a bookstore. But Valliant is so encompassing in his telling of the story that one can argue that it could also be shelved in Russian History, Cultural Studies, Current Affairs, Anthropology, Hunting, or perhaps even True Crime no reviews | add a review
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Nature.
Politics.
Nonfiction.
HTML:Itâ??s December 1997, and a man-eating tiger is on the prowl outside a remote village in Russiaâ??s Far East. The tiger isnâ??t just killing people, itâ??s annihilating them, and a team of men and their dogs must hunt it on foot through the forest in the brutal cold. As the trackers sift through the gruesome remains of the victims, they discover that these attacks arenâ??t random: the tiger is apparently engaged in a vendetta. Injured, starving, and extremely dangerous, the tiger must be found before it strikes again. As he re-creates these extraordinary events, John Vaillant gives us an unforgettable portrait of this spectacularly beautiful and mysterious region. We meet the native tribes who for centuries have worshipped and lived alongside tigers, even sharing their kills with them. We witness the arrival of Russian settlers in the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, soldiers and hunters who greatly diminished the tiger populations. And we come to know their descendants, who, crushed by poverty, have turned to poaching and further upset the natural balance of the region. This ancient, tenuous relationship between man and predator is at the very heart of this remarkable book. Throughout we encounter surprising theories of how humans and tigers may have evolved to coexist, how we may have developed as scavengers rather than hunters, and how early Homo sapiens may have fit seamlessly into the tigerâ??s ecosystem. Above all, we come to understand the endangered Siberian tiger, a highly intelligent super-predator that can grow to ten feet long, weigh more than six hundred pounds, and range daily over vast territories of forest and mountain. Beautifully written and deeply informative, The Tiger circles around three main characters: Vladimir Markov, a poacher killed by the tiger; Yuri Trush, the lead tracker; and the tiger himself. It is an absolutely gripping tale of man and nature that leads inexorably to a final showdown in a clearing No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)599.75609577Natural sciences and mathematics Zoology Mammals Carnivora Felines Tigers History, geography, biography Asia SiberiaLC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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