Living With Tigers

Valmik Thapar first went to Ranthambhore, in 1976, at the age of twenty-three. He was a city boy, unsure of what lay ahead. When he entered the forest, which would go on to become one of the last strongholds of wild tigers, it had a profound effect on him, changing his life forever. For the next forty years, he studied nearly 200 Ranthambhore tigers, spending every waking moment in close proximity to these magnificent animals. Of the various tigers he observed a handful became extra special and it is these which come to glorious life in this book. They include Padmini, the Queen Mother, the first tiger the author got to know well; Genghis, the master predator, who invented a way of killing prey in water, the first time this had been observed anywhere in the world; Noon, one of his all-time favourites, who received her name because she was most active in the middle of the day; Broken Tooth, an exceptionally gentle male; Laxmi, a devoted mother, whose methods of raising her cubs revolutionized tiger studies; Machli, the most famous tigress in Ranthambhore and several more.

Describes the physical characteristics, behaviors, habitat, and life cycle of tigers.

Introduces tigers, discussing the different species, the physical characteristics, habitat, life cycle, and predatory behaviors of the animal and the efforts being made to ensure their future.

The Secret Life of Tigers documents the family life of three tigresses and their cubs at every stage of the cubs' development, from soon after birth to adulthood. Presenting extraordinary discoveries about the lives of tigers, with the role of the father recorded in the wild for the first time, this enhanced second edition passionately argues for greater involvement of the government and the general public to save the tiger as it battles extinction in thenear future.

When Isha is sent away to live with her grandparents on the Indian countryside, she finds a young Bengal tiger that needs her protection. Her crusade to save the tiger becomes the catalyst of an arduous journey of awakening and survival across the changing landscape of modernizing India.

Korea – the “Land of the Morning Calm” – has folklore second to none. Korea’s symbol is the tiger, who appears in Korean folklore in many disguises, from a mother to an old man offering hospitality. Indeed, a familiar figure in Korean folklore is the ordinary person who is alarmed to discover that a person in the same room is really a tiger in disguise! Stories of that kind have entertained and instructed Koreans for thousands of years. And the stories still have much to teach people today, no matter where one lives. Here are thirty-five Korean folktales, retold for a modern, Western audience. They reflect the unique – and sometimes cynical – viewpoints of people in one of the world’s oldest civilizations. But one need not be familiar with Korea already to enjoy and learn from these stories. From Alaska to Zanzibar, human nature and behavior are pretty much the same. So readers everywhere will find useful knowledge in these ancient tales ... such as how to recognize a tiger in disguise! Stories retold here have been changed in certain ways to appeal to a modern, Western audience caught up in today’s business culture. For a guide to sources of original stories in English translation, please see the list of readings at the end of the book. You will meet some new personalities here. You also will encounter, in Korean costume, some old friends you have known under different names for many years, including one beloved figure from American folklore whom you probably never expected to find in the Land of the Morning Calm! And never far away is a tiger in disguise! So as you read this book, on the subway or bus or wherever, you may find yourself wondering: is that a tiger in disguise sitting next to you?

Dubbed the Indiana Jones of wildlife science by The New York Times, Alan Rabinowitz has devoted—and risked—his life to protect nature’s great endangered mammals. He has journeyed to the remote corners of the earth in search of wild things, weathering treacherous terrain, plane crashes, and hostile governments. Life in the Valley of Death recounts his most ambitious and dangerous adventure yet: the creation of the world’s largest tiger preserve. The tale is set in the lush Hukaung Valley of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. An escape route for refugees fleeing the Japanese army during World War II, this rugged stretch of land claimed the lives of thousands of children, women, and soldiers. Today it is home to one of the largest tiger populations outside of India—a population threatened by rampant poaching and the recent encroachment of gold prospectors. To save the remaining tigers, Rabinowitz must navigate not only an unforgiving landscape, but the tangled web of politics in Myanmar. Faced with a military dictatorship, an insurgent army, tribes once infamous for taking the heads of their enemies, and villagers living on less than one U.S. dollar per day, the scientist and adventurer most comfortable with animals is thrust into a diplomatic minefield. As he works to balance the interests of disparate factions and endangered wildlife, his own life is threatened by an incurable disease. The resulting story is one of destruction and loss, but also renewal. In forests reviled as the valley of death, Rabinowitz finds new life for himself, for communities haunted by poverty and violence, and for the tigers he vowed to protect.