A Naturalist and Other Beasts Tales from a Life in the Field

by Schaller, George B.

• ISBN13: 9781578051298
• ISBN10: 1578051290
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2007-04-01
• Publisher: Sierra Club Books

Summary

Since the 1950s, eminent field biologist George Schaller has roamed through many lands observing wild animals and conducting landmark long-term studies that have deepened our understanding of these creatures. He has reported and reflected on his work in classic books such asThe Year of the Gorilla, The Last Panda,and National Book Award winnerThe Serengeti Lion,but much of his best writing has been ephemeral, published in magazines only to drop out of sight. This collection features nineteen short pieces, here brought together in book form for the first time, offering a unique overview of his remarkable career. Chapters describe stalking tigers in India and jaguars in Brazil's Pantanal swamps, studying mountain gorillas in Rwanda and predator- prey relations in the Serengeti, tracking new species on the wild border of Vietnam and Laos, searching for snow leopards in the Hindu Kush, and Schaller's groundbreaking work with giant pandas in Sichuan. Later accounts broaden the focus from individual creatures to whole ecosystems. "The careless rapture of my early studies has been replaced more and more by efforts to protect animals and their habitats," he writes. New to this book are Schaller's introductions for each chapter, which add and update information, and an overall introduction that looks back on his career. His own photographs appear throughout: of animals and their behavior, of fieldwork, of the author and his family "on location" in temporary homes from a hut in the African highlands to a tent in the snowy mountains of China.

Author Biography

George B. Schaller is vice president and science director of the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. 9
Introduction: Of Marvels and Memories	p. 13
Prologue: Feral Biologist	p. 19
The Americas
Arctic Legacy: Caribou	p. 29
Raising Siegfried: Great Blue Heron	p. 37
Glories of Another World: Rainforest	p. 45
The Mouse That Barks: Capybara	p. 55
Stalking the Pantanal: Jaquar	p. 63
Africa
In the Path of Conflict: Mountain Gorilla	p. 81
Memories of Eden: Serengeti	p. 97
Watching the Pride: Lion	p. 105
A Movable Feast: Wildebeast	p. 121
An Elegant Cat: cheeta	p. 129
South Asia, China, and Mongolia
Light in the Forest: Tiger	p. 145
Tracking New Species: Saola	p. 157
Chinese Treasures: Golden Monkey and Takin	p. 167
Bound to Bamboo: Giant Panda	p. 179
A Golden Horde: Mongolian Gazelle	p. 197
The Himalaya and the Tibetan Plateau
Ghost of the Hindu Kush: Snow Leopard	p. 209
Grazing the Mountain's Edge: Bharal	p. 223
Tibetan Prairie Dogs: Pika	p. 237
In a High and Sacred Realm: chiru	p. 245
The Wildlife Conservation Society	p. 267
Selected Bibliography	p. 269
Credits for Reprinted Material	p. 271
About the Author	p. 272
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.