Tigers in Red Weather: A Quest for the Last Wild Tigers

Such an incredible book. Padel writes a novel like a poem, and captures the essence of the tiger and why it is so important that we save it from destruction in the wild. A must read for everyone.

Here Ruth Padel has created a unique work of conservationist literature, describing her non-scientific quest to see the world's few remaining wild tigers in their natural habitats. In the process we get an illuminating travelogue of less-trammeled regions in several exotic countries and their peoples' contradictory attitudes towards tigers and nature. Of special interest are the bizarre treatment of animals in Laos, where domestic animals are protected wealth and wild animals are exploited food; and the schizophrenic tiger obsession of China, which glamorizes fictional tigers as symbols of cultural strength while destroying rare real tigers for fetishes and false medicines. Padel is also willing to let the scientists and activists with whom she travels speak their minds, creating an insightful study of the travails and dangers faced by conservationists as they fight government corruption and harsh socioeconomic realities. In terms of writing, Padel assembles beautiful prose and her sentences are often a joy to behold, creating verbal atmospheres that highlight the senses of excitement and melancholy felt by those who care about tigers the most. But beyond well-crafted sentences, the book tends to drift into wispy philosophical and literary explorations, with a lot of completely useless (and often quite annoying) ruminations from Padel on her personal life. But the book is still beneficial overall, as Padel ably illuminates the dangers faced by the world's last tigers while instilling a sense of hope that is brought by passionate activists. And in the end, what you'll remember most is the power of the tigers, which you'll feel in your heart whether or not you've ever seen one in the wild. [~doomsdayer520~]

Padel's book is certainly interesting and informative but, if you're concerned about the future of Asia's wildlife (not only tigers), you come away with the melancholy, somewhat depressing impression that population growth and habitat destruction do not bode well for the wild creatures of our largest continent. I agree with another reviewer that the story would certainly be better without the inclusion of details from the author's personal life, particularly the angst over the break-up with a lover. Consisting of chapters pieced together after numerous trips to south, east and southeast Asia, "Tigers in Red Weather" covers a lot of ground, assessing from Padel's own treks and interaction with wildlife conservationists, the state of wilderness preservation in such far-flung locales as India, Bangladesh, Russia, China and Indonesia. Each time she's back in England, however, we're subjected to awkward meetings, meals and cocktail party banter with the ex-boyfriend. Sorry but as a reader I couldn't care less and that's certainly not why I bought the book. There is some charm in Padel's descriptions of walks in tropical rainforest and I could certainly relate, as a neophyte outdoorsman, to the "creeped out" factor of running across pythons, spiders and scorpions which, as is often the case, appear when least expected. Admittedly an amateur trekker at best, the author manages to convey what these exotic trips would be like for the average Westerner reading from a cushy armchair. The most valuable contributions of "Tiger's in Red Weather," however, are the tales about the dedicated, incredibly hard-working, isolated scientists, conservationists, rangers and others who devote their lives to saving not only "charsimatic megafauna" such as tigers, leopards, bears and elephants but the trees that harbor them and the deer, pigs and other prey they feed upon. One can only admire the sense of stewardship that drives these people. Often underfunded and performing thankless tasks (especially concerning local inhabitants who are sometimes downright violent), the work of Padel's heroes is truly worthy of commendation. This goes for the native rangers and forest wardens as well. Unfortunately too many succumb to bribes, threats and the lure of materialism but a large enough percentage hang in there despite low (or zero) pay, violent death courtesy of heavily armed poachers, primitive living conditions and isolation from their families. The stars of the book, the tigers, are predictably rarely seen. I won't give away how many of these magnificent creatures Padel manages to spot on her far-ranging adventure but suffice it to say that the reduction in numbers is very disheartening. Far more often scat, pugmarks and other signs of their presence are the only clues that particular forests and preserves harbor any beasts at all. In many ways the appendix sums up the situation as it devolves a year or so after the author's journeys and it's worse than ever. One wonder

If you are interested and concerned about the survival of tigers in the wild...read this book! Ms. Padel takes the reader on a journey to all areas of the world which tigers are known to inhabit. She meets with researchers and scientists in various reserves to gain current information. The fight against poachers, political corruption and the loss of tiger habitat versus the plight of poor villagers is addressed. However, the author's references to her personal life were a distraction from the main subject of the book.

Reading this book will immerse you in jungles, have you checking your legs for leeches, and teach you more about tigers in the modern world than any other I know. Ruth Padel, the great-great-grandaughter of Charles Darwin, spent five years travelling to the last places on earth where tigers live, to learn about them, their conservation, and the people who are involved in their lives and deaths. But this not a dry scientific read littered with statistics; Ruth is a former Chair of the Poetry Society and the language throughout is beautiful, evocative, engaging and often funny. The description of her travels and discoveries teach much about the complexities of conserving a large endangered animal which is valuable both dead and alive. We have known the tiger is in trouble for a long time - this book reveals why the solution is not as simple as we might think and describes the efforts and frustrations of some of the world's leading tiger experts. If you are heading to Asia - for whatever reason - read this book first for a ground-level understanding of jungle life. Highly recommended.