Vaillant, John. The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival. Alfred A. Knopf.
The Amur tiger is a species not even the poet William Blake could have imagined “burning bright.” Within the 500-mile radius of the Primorye region of eastern Russia the Amur are able to survive multiple climates and plan out campaigns for prey that would be envied by any hunter. Three human hunters in the winter of 1997 were devoured by a particularly large member of the Amur. This was a shock to conservationists in that unlike tigers in India the Amur normally have no taste for human flesh. A team usually involved in preserving wildlife was led by ex-soldier Yuri Trush to isolate and destroy this rogue tiger. Vaillant alternates between the chase and explanations of Primorye culture and ecology plus how both were affected by the Soviet Union’s collapse six years before. The result is mounting terror within a world of overall disorder.
Reviewed by Bob.
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