Overview

The remarkable conservation story of one of the world's most iconic animals Deep in the forests of Northeast Asia roams the majestic and revered Amur tigers, more popularly known as 'The Siberian Tiger'. But in the final years of the Cold War, only a few hundred of these graceful animals stepped quietly through the snow of the Amur River basin. As the Soviet Union fell, catastrophe arrived, with poaching and logging taking a fast, astonishing toll on an already vulnerable species. Taking us on a journey through remote frozen landscapes, globally renowned conservationist Jonathan Slaght charts the incredible story of how Russian scientists and American conservationists came together to save these magnificent, solitary creatures. He retraces their steps to show how this dedicated, fearless coalition laid the foundations of new tiger research across Asia, transforming public opinion around tigers from something to be feared and hunted, to creatures we must protect. Today, tigers occupy 7% of the lands they did 100 years ago, disappearing in the wild from Bali to Iran. In the ongoing global crisis of species destruction, Slaght shows us that the revival of the Amur tiger can bring us hope for the future- a model for how to live alongside, and revive, the natural world.

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Reviews

Gripping stuff. A nail-biting adventure that really matters -- Charles Foster, author of <i> Cry of the Wild </i>

Gripping stuff. A nail-biting adventure that really matters -- Charles Foster, author of <i> Cry of the Wild </i> A huge adventure at the frontiers of conservation, a whole hidden world, meticulously described, poised on the very edges of the wild and repeatedly made searingly alive by the majestic animals at its heart -- Adam Nicolson, author of <i> Bird School </i> Tigers Between Empires is a wonderfully complete and engaging account of the odds that passionate people can overcome when they truly believe in their mission and never give up the fight. At a time when the United Kingdom is one of the most nature depleted countries in Europe and eco-anxiety turns many of us to pessimism and lethargy this book proves that species can be brought back from the brink of extinction and habitats can be protected, restored and improved by their presence. Perhaps one day the kind of successes experienced by the inspirational cast of characters in this book might be played out over our own rolling valleys and forests. Might Slaght’s work here even bring the return of native apex predators one step closer to Britain’s shores -- Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, author of <i> Our Oaken Bones </i> Jon Slaght’s magisterial, fluent story of the landmark Siberian Tiger Project intimately reveals the ecology of these charismatic cats, as well as the struggles and triumphs of people who brought them back from the verge of extinction. Having studied tigers in India where tiger populations are packed at densities ten times higher, I hold in awe the heroism of scientists, conservationists and officials in this bleakest of tiger habitats in the world. Slaght’s ring-side view depicts how a social cocktail of intense passion and robust science can lead to effective species recovery -- K. Ullas Karanth, Tiger Biologist & author of <i> Among Tigers: Fighting to Bring Back Asia’s Big Cats </i>

The remarkable and enthralling story of the majestic Amur tiger... this is a story that gives us hope in the possibility of living alongside, reviving and protecting the natural world -- Caroline Sanderson * Bookseller * A captivating account of the Siberian Tiger Project, a multi-decade collaborative effort among American and Russian scientists to study and protect Siberian tigers... Slaght sketches an empathetic portrait of these intrepid researchers as well as the imperiled creatures they studied... [Slaght] brings their stories to life on the page with vivid detail and suspense * Publisher's Weekly * Gripping stuff. A nail-biting adventure that really matters -- Charles Foster, author of <i> Cry of the Wild </i> A huge adventure at the frontiers of conservation, a whole hidden world, meticulously described, poised on the very edges of the wild and repeatedly made searingly alive by the majestic animals at its heart -- Adam Nicolson, author of <i> Bird School </i> Tigers Between Empires is a wonderfully complete and engaging account of the odds that passionate people can overcome when they truly believe in their mission and never give up the fight. At a time when the United Kingdom is one of the most nature depleted countries in Europe and eco-anxiety turns many of us to pessimism and lethargy this book proves that species can be brought back from the brink of extinction and habitats can be protected, restored and improved by their presence. Perhaps one day the kind of successes experienced by the inspirational cast of characters in this book might be played out over our own rolling valleys and forests. Might Slaght’s work here even bring the return of native apex predators one step closer to Britain’s shores -- Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, author of <i> Our Oaken Bones </i> Jon Slaght’s magisterial, fluent story of the landmark Siberian Tiger Project intimately reveals the ecology of these charismatic cats, as well as the struggles and triumphs of people who brought them back from the verge of extinction. Having studied tigers in India where tiger populations are packed at densities ten times higher, I hold in awe the heroism of scientists, conservationists and officials in this bleakest of tiger habitats in the world. Slaght’s ring-side view depicts how a social cocktail of intense passion and robust science can lead to effective species recovery -- K. Ullas Karanth, Tiger Biologist & author of <i> Among Tigers: Fighting to Bring Back Asia’s Big Cats </i>

Gripping stuff. A nail-biting adventure that really matters -- Charles Foster, author of <i> Cry of the Wild </i> Tigers Between Empires is a wonderfully complete and engaging account of the odds that passionate people can overcome when they truly believe in their mission and never give up the fight. At a time when the United Kingdom is one of the most nature depleted countries in Europe and eco-anxiety turns many of us to pessimism and lethargy this book proves that species can be brought back from the brink of extinction and habitats can be protected, restored and improved by their presence. Perhaps one day the kind of successes experienced by the inspirational cast of characters in this book might be played out over our own rolling valleys and forests. Might Slaght’s work here even bring the return of native apex predators one step closer to Britain’s shores -- Merlin Hanbury-Tenison, author of <i> Our Oaken Bones </i> Jon Slaght’s magisterial, fluent story of the landmark Siberian Tiger Project intimately reveals the ecology of these charismatic cats, as well as the struggles and triumphs of people who brought them back from the verge of extinction. Having studied tigers in India where tiger populations are packed at densities ten times higher, I hold in awe the heroism of scientists, conservationists and officials in this bleakest of tiger habitats in the world. Slaght’s ring-side view depicts how a social cocktail of intense passion and robust science can lead to effective species recovery -- K. Ullas Karanth, Tiger Biologist & author of <i> Among Tigers: Fighting to Bring Back Asia’s Big Cats </i>

Author Information

Jonathan C. Slaght is an expert on endangered species of north Asia. He is the Regional Director of Temperate Asia for the Wildlife Conservation Society and has spent nearly thirty years travelling to and living in the region. His work has featured in The New York Times, BBC World Service, The Guardian, Smithsonian and Audubon. Owls of the Eastern Ice, his first book, was named The Times Nature Book of the Year in 2020.

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