Tiger: The Ultimate Guide
- Book Review,
by Valmik Thapar
Book Description
Ever since man first set eyes on the tiger, it has captivated people the world over. With its exceptional photography and insightful text, TIGER: The Ultimate Guide is a fitting tribute to this fascinating creature. An indispensible resource for animal lovers and conservationists alike, this book offers the most complete account to date of the natural and cultural history of the tiger - from its evolution and behavior to its symbolic importance in myth and ritual. Anecdotal and statistical information concerning the tiger's continued exploitation and struggle for survival, past and present, illuminate and inform a discussion of current preservation efforts. Lavishly illustrated with more than 200 images, TIGER: The Ultimate Guide features an unsurpassed collection of photographs of tigers in the wild, many never before published, that showcase the work of some of the world's finest photographers. Also included are superb examples of tiger-inspired art through the centuries - from ancient mosaics and Indian paintings to the work of European artists suchs as Delacroix, Bugatti, Stubbs, Rousseau, and Dali. The extraordinary array of illustrations presented in this distinctive volume has been drawn from archives, private collections, and museums around the world. A passionate first-person narrative by Valmik Thapar who has spent most of the last thirty years observing tigers in the wild and fighting to ensure their survival, is supplemented by the latest scientific findings and essays by twenty of the world's most renowned experts. This stunning book explores every aspect of one of nature's most majestic animals, making TIGER: The Ultimate Guide as authoritative as it is beautiful.
From the Publisher
Companion to the following UNIVERSAL film and ANIMAL PLANET documentary * Universal Film, TWO BROTHERS, Release: June 25, 2004 * Animal Planet Documentary, THE ULTIMATE GUIDE TO TIGERS, Airing Monday June 21 - Friday June 25, 8-9pm EST
About the Author
Valmik Thapar, a leading conservationist, has been associated with Ranthambhore National Park, the world's most prominent tiger reserve, in Rajastham, northern India, for nearly thirty years. Thapar is the author of numerous books on tigers, most recently Saving Wild Tigers (2003), Cult of the Tiger (2002), and Land of the Tiger (1997), which accompanied a major BBC-TV series of the same name. He is currently a member of the Central Empowered Committee, which was constituted by the Supreme Court of India to monitor forests and wildlife. He lives in New Delhi. Expert contributors include wildlife biologists, zoologists, tiger researchers, artists, poets, historians, and conservationists. Producer Jake Eberts, whose feature production credits include Ghandi, Dances with Wolves, Driving Miss Daisy, A River Runs Through It, and Open Range, is co-publisher of TIGER: The Ultimate Guide. His most recent films are Two Brothers, a Universal release, and an accompanying Animal Planet documentary, The Ultimate Guide to Tigers. This book serves as a unique companion to these two films.
Excerpted from Tiger: The Ultimate Guide by Valmik Thapar. Copyright © 2004. Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
The Tail of the Tiger One could say that the tiger lives in my bloodstream. Tigers have mesmerized me since I first saw one at the age of eight. I was sitting on top of an elephant in the tall grasslands of one of India's first national parks, Corbett National Park, named after the legendary hunter of man-eating tigers, Jim Corbett. Suddenly, the grass in front of the elephant parted, and a roaring tigress with her two six-month-old cubs rushed past. The sight stunned me. By the time I was twenty-four, I was following them in a tiny northern Indian forest called Ranthambhore, in the state of Rajasthan. For ten to twenty days each month, I tracked tigers in order to understand every detail of their lives. I also photographed them and sometimes filmed them. From dawn to dusk, I followed the tail of the tiger, though the first years were tough. Tigers were evasive and difficult to observe. My life changed over that time, and I have spent nearly thirty years absorbing every nuance of the tiger's life, from its natural history to its cultural history. The tiger commands a deep involvement from those who pursue it. For the last thirteen years, I have been fighting to ensure the survival of the tiger by forcing government policy to adapt to the tigers' needs and by networking both nationally and internationally in the interest of the tiger so that more and more people engage in the battle to save it. I have served on the National Board for Wildlife and the steering committee of Project Tiger for nearly a decade. At the moment, I serve the Central Empowered Committee, which has been charged by the Supreme Court of India with looking at all issues that concern the forests of India. While doing all this, I was able to creat Tiger Link, a way of bringing together nongovernmental organizations and individuals from around the world. Over the past thirteen years I have written ten books on various issues relating to the tiger. This book - addressing all the different facets of the tiger - collects a great breadth of information in one volume. I have in the last decade presented or been part of more than twelve films, primarily in association with Mike Birkhead. My relation with Mike started when the tigers in India were in a severe crisis and both poaching and habitat loss were devastating their homes. Mike put together a film called Tiger Crisis, and I played a role in presenting part of it. Since then, we haven't looked back, continuing our efforts through books and films to increase the world's awareness of the tiger, its life, and its plight. This book was born out of the passion of people. Film director Jean-Jacques Annaud has always wanted to make a film involving the tiger. One of his friends and financiers was an old family friend of mine, Jerome Seydoux. Through him, a circle was completed. Jean-Jacques had read several of my books, and he contacted me in 1998 with the aim of gaining an understanding of the behavior of wild tigers. We talked from different continents until eventually he visited me in Ranthambhore for a week to observe two brother tigers in the wild. His feature film TWO BROTHERS came to fruition, and with it there was a request for Mike Birkhead and I to make a related documentary film on tigers. When I met producer Jake Eberts in December 2002, I suggested that we add a book on the project. Jake is a deeply committed man, and he immediately agreed to this. And subsequently, I was with Jake when he saw his first wild tiger! So within months, a feature film, a documentary, and a book all raced to completion. I focused on the book, Mike Birkhead on the documentary film, and we worked as a team to celebrate the tiger as never before. We have put everything we could into the creation of this book. For me, it is a dream come true, made possible by the total commitment of men like Jean-Jacques Annaud, Jake Eberts, and Jerome Seydoux. A research budget made it possible for us to explore and discover new insights into the natural and cultural history of the tiger, whether in ancient Rome, India, or Siberia. We also approached a broad cross-section of experts-zoologists, historians, anthropologists, writers, artists-to contribute short pieces outlining their research, their encounters, and the myriad ways in which the tiger has become their passion. It is our hope that this book will engage people with the tiger and increase their awareness and appreciation of this magnificent animal. In this way, we can continue to strive together to ensure its survival. Valmik Thapar New Delhi March 1, 2004
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