An overall view of the historical background, the biology of the
species and the right way to save big cats is presented
in this book of essays edited
by K. Ulhas Karanth. He is an internationally acclaimed conservationist and
wildlife scientist and has dedicated his life for the cause of saving mega
fauna such as the elephants and the tigers. With his sound experience of working
in Nagarahole
national Park in Karnataka State of India
he is hopeful that tiger population in India can reach and be maintained
at a viable number now and also in the future. This hope reflects throughout
the book and raises the spirits of the readers concerned.
The book gives brief account of scientific literature on the tigers
of the subcontinent India
and has chapters that starkly bring out the cruelty of human beings towards the
big cats. While Vladimir Troinin records the destruction of the tiger in
Siberia, in another chapter Kenneth Anderson writes an entertaining narration
that has unexpected thrilling twists and turns and creates a mystical aura
around a tiger and a wandering Indian Sadhu who almost simultaneously appear in
a superstition-ridden farming community living at the edge of a forest. J.D.Scott
portrays the gruesome fate of tigers in post-independent India and
involvement of helpless poor people in it.
K.Ulhas Karanth has also given accounts of these awesome big cats
from various habitats around the globe is given and an anthology of the past,
present and the future of these
predators is also carefully compiled in the
book. There are several chapters written by biologists based on their research
in Nepal, Java, Siberia and India.
Techniques such as radio telemetry and camera trapping are neatly explained and
the importance of saving not only the tiger but also its prey is aptly
underscored.