Tigers in the Snow

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Summary: Left with mixed feelings.....
Review: Matthiessen can leave you mesmerised with his writing and story telling;but except for a few pages in this book,he has failed to do it this time.The subject matter was there,but I got the sense the book was cranked out,possibly with the help of research staff padding it with filler material.The passion in Peter's writing was missing.
Writing about vanishing species,efforts to preserve,dealing with social conditions,bureaucracies,self-serving and disonest people can never be satisfying.On top of that, in cultures where deceit and victimization theory are the norm,attempts to do the right thing must make one feel hopeless and discouraged; however,that seems to be the lot of conservationalists.
I found the book disjointed;the photography was generally excellent,but many seemed inserted randomly and without captions.
I guess what really bothered me was the victim beliefs, that are the result of socialism,as expressed on pg.104,"Life is very different now.It's not just the economy.Everyone is living for the moment and looking out for thrmselves.Our life is out of control-it's chaos","Today nobody will lift a finger unless they are given money".This is the result of buying into theories "that you can't take care of yourself,let us do it for you." Until people believe that their misfortune is their own problem to solve, things won't improve.In other words,Helen Keller had problems;so,what's yours?

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Summary: This book is quite boring!
Review: My interest in this book was limited. Most of the book was very informational, and that did not captivate my interests at all. It was quite boring to say the least, though I was quite interested by the collar tracking devices and learning about the poaching and near distinction of Siberian tigers.
This book relates to my studies in school because of the genetics of tigers mentioned. "...gene flow among tigers has been so extensive until recent times that it is hard to isolate distinct genetic groups...since the mitochondrial DNA type of the island tigers is identical to that of the mainland forms...'genetic drift' a condition caused by random loss of genes...only a few skins and scraps from which DNA can be extracted have survived..." Although these examples of heredity and genetics are above my head, they touch upon the basics of what I learned about in Biology class.
I've never really heard about Siberian tigers before. I knew of them but not about them or at least not as much as I know after reading Tigers in the Snow. I wasn't familiar with the poaching or near extinction of Siberian tigers. It is sad how little we Americans know of the wildlife in other parts of the world. For instance, I have only seen tigers in the Zoo.
I learned a lot about the Siberian tiger species and what animals go through when they are facing loss of habitat and extinction. This book has taught me how much human's industry and over hunting can affect an animal's survival, more than any other natural factor. It has taught me that it is up to the people to save the tiger as well as any other endangered animal from extinction. I have learned that the tiger is making a slow comeback because the countries are keeping the poaching under control. The book often times discussed the population of tigers in certain areas. I now have a better understanding of the tiger's population dilemma by using my knowledge of immigration, emigration, mortality, and natality. Overall, I thought this book was very educational and worth reading if you are at all interested in tigers or the effort being made to save them.
However, this book jumped around a lot from place to place, and was somewhat hard to follow. I personally didn't enjoy the majority of the book, because it doesn't keep you interested and isn't very exciting to read. If you were researching tigers, then this would be a great book to read. But I wouldn't recommend it for a reader's enjoyment.
Overall this book has been very influential and an interesting read. It has changed my views on many issues, and tigers as a whole. This issue of the tiger population being depleted is a major issue in the world today; I believe that if the tiger population were removed from the world, the food chain would be distorted because the prey of the tiger would become overpopulated. Hopefully, the tiger population will be refreshed within the next decades so we won't have to find out what happens if the tiger population diminishes. In conclusion, Tigers In The Snow is a very informative read, and if you want to know in great detail about the world of the tiger, you should read this book.

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Summary: Tigers in the Snow Book Review
Review: The book that I chose to read was titled Tigers in the Snow, written by Peter Matthiessen. Tigers in the Snow was published by North Point Press, in 2000. It is 174 pages long. In this book the author takes us with him on a journey through Asia trying to save the tigers. He writes about his experiences in the Siberian Tiger Project, founded in 1989. Peter Matthiessen writes to show people how important tigers are in the world and how close we are to losing them. This book is very factual and detailed it gave me the true picture of the tiger's cultural history and how close we are to losing them forever.
This book is written from both an ecological and biological stance. Ecologically, he explains how tigers interact with other animals. They interact with the elk and other prey such as wild pig by hunting them. They indirectly interact with humans by hunting the same prey as human hunters do. They also interact with humans because human industries destroy the tiger's and its prey's habitat. Biologically, the book proves that tigers live a very strenuous life. At all times they are in danger of being hilled by poachers. Tiger's pray is very scarce making it hard for them to survive, especially ones with cubs. Their pray is so scarce because hunters over hunt tiger's main food sources which include large animals such as elk and wild pig. The number of human attacks by tigers increase along with the lack of prey. This is because the tiger will only attack a human if they are starving. Despite the tigers size and strength it fails in about 90% of its hunts.
This book discusses many aspects of the tiger. It addressed where they live, how many are left, and their hunting patterns. Tigers were once plentiful throughout Siberia, China, Korea, and South East Asia. Now, the 3,000 remaining wild tigers are mostly confined to small parks and reserves throughout the tiger world. Tigers are poached relentlessly for their fur and body parts which are often used for Asian folk medicines. Male tigers need large amounts of wooded territory. Several female tiger's territories often overlap a male's territory. Tigers have very unique hunting patterns. They use their excellent sight and hearing to hunt animals instead of their sense of smell like most carnivores do. Often times, they hide the carcass of their prey and return multiple times to eat. In order to convince governments that better tiger protection plans were needed scientists needed to extensively research the tiger. To do so the author, as a part of the Siberian Tiger Project, captured and radio collared the tigers. This way they could monitor movement and behavior without human influence. "From monitoring theses tigers-some for 7 years now- we know how much food they require, what they eat, how they react to human activities, and what makes for good tiger habitat," Matthiessen states in this book. He tells about his experiences studying the tigers. He traveled all around Asia to different reserves researching the tigers and their activities.
I think that this book has taught me a lot and that I can relate what I've learned to what we have discussed in class. It taught me about the tiger's niche in the environment, and we have studied niches of different organisms in class. I could also incorporate population studies into this book. The book often times discussed the population of tigers in certain areas. I have a better understanding of the tiger's population dilemma by using my knowledge of immigration, emigration, mortality, and natality. Overall, I thought this book was very educational and worth reading if you are at all interested in tigers or the effort being made to save them.
What I learned about the tiger can be applied to other animals facing loss of habitat and extinction. The book has taught me how much human's industry and over hunting can affect an animal's survival, more than any other natural factor. It has taught me that it is up to us to save the tiger from extinction and that is true for all endangered animals....