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"Tigers in the Snow" by Peter Matthiessen

book review by Riley Burnham 6/18/2023

"Tigers in the Snow" by Peter Matthiessen

really good stuff -- great perspective on tigers

the author goes to Russia, etc. to, along w/ a research group + guides, etc., survey the whereabouts & whatabouts of tigers & their population + ecosystem -- which of course is in 'jeopardy' w/ human encroachments, + loss of prey...

it's sort of interesting that tigers are native to Asia specifically, & seemingly only -- this includes of course China, Russia, India...

a really neat conclusive mention is on grizzly bears apparently disfavouring(?) the taste of humans [or the worthiness thereof], which he says is similar w/ tigers, who almost only attack when 1) starving or 2) are being attacked more or less

he says tho they're being wiped quickly, they're so important & soulful to the forest that it'd be a tragedy to lose them -- locals agree

most countries/places regard/revere them, attributing them to/w/ gods, etc. [Hinduism, etc...]

he uses the term indignant when describing the effect of putting collars on wild animals like that [lacks respect for sure, in a way]

he often encounters the remains of poached tigers along his journeys; & in an instance recounted, has left the [numerous] cubs, about 6 mo. in age -- so too young & too old [survival/zoos] & so they leave food available for periods of time, which gets them through winter 👍 [humorously their likely father takes food & runs (from them) w/ it lol] brutal, savage

so tigers are cool -- powerful enough to kill [if even from shock lol] w/ a paw-strike; let alone claws + teeth; & are adept in most terrains -- FOOD-DEPENDENT so they die off... 🍖

sad they're being encroached on so; so it goes apparently...

la tigre blanca