Here There Be a Tyger

November 9, 2010 3:34 PM

Deep in the forests of Russia’s Far East, the last Siberian tigers are under siege by runaway logging and poachers who get paid $30,000 per carcass. One tiger decided to fight back.

Via. Previously.

posted by mreleganza (17 comments total)

I like when the tiger wins.
posted by toodleydoodley at 3:48 PM on November 9, 2010 [2 favorites]

Nearby is a long bone, a femur probably, that has been gnawed to a bloodless white. Carrion crows flock in the trees overhead, and their raucous kvetching tells Trush that whatever murdered this man is still around; the kill is being guarded.

Tigers add panache and savoir faire to any social occasion.
posted by cirripede at 3:54 PM on November 9, 2010

It's really funny to imagine that headline being read in a "movie trailer guy" voice.
posted by brundlefly at 4:00 PM on November 9, 2010

1000 tigers killed in decade; extinction near — Body parts from more than 1,000 wild tigers have been seized over the past decade, crimes that are adding to the extinction crisis faced by the species whose numbers are estimated at around just 3,200 worldwide, a wildlife monitoring network reported Tuesday.

"Parts of between 1,069 and 1,220 tigers were seized in 11 of the 13 tiger range countries — or an average of 104 to 119 animals per year," TRAFFIC said in a report ahead of an international meeting later this month.
posted by netbros at 4:03 PM on November 9, 2010

Parts of between 1,069 and 1,220 tigers were seized in 11 of the 13 tiger range countries...
Some one call all the kings horses and all the kings men.
posted by Cranberry at 4:06 PM on November 9, 2010

That was a really engaging piece of writing. Shame it ended so soon, really - I might have to chase up the rest of it...
posted by twirlypen at 4:17 PM on November 9, 2010

That was a really engaging piece of writing. Shame it ended so soon, really - I might have to chase up the rest of it...

I thought the same thing, Twirlypen. I googled the final name in the story, and the only result was a Google Books result from which the story was excerpted. I'm at work so I don't know how much of the book is online that way because I'm at work, but it's a start.
posted by mreleganza at 4:29 PM on November 9, 2010

"Following the Takhalo River now, the tiger made its way toward a crude shelter constructed of branches and covered in tar paper that belonged to a local hunter. He broke in, found a mattress, and hauled it 50 yards across the frozen river. There, on the opposite bank, he spread the mattress out under a spruce tree, lay down on it in plain view, and waited."
This is a great story. This bit actually made me laugh out loud.
posted by amethysts at 4:40 PM on November 9, 2010

Here kitty kitty . . .
posted by fourcheesemac at 5:29 PM on November 9, 2010

Yeah, I wish we knew what happened next!
posted by limeonaire at 5:33 PM on November 9, 2010

It's crazy to think that there are so few left. Also, I looked up tiger on wikipedia and found this:

The surviving subspecies, in descending order of wild population, are: 50 CENT IS A BAD MAN STAY AWAY!
posted by snofoam at 6:05 PM on November 9, 2010

Of the six surviving subspecies of tiger, the Amur is the only one habituated to arctic conditions, with a burlier build and much heavier coat than its sleek tropical cousins. There is no creature in the taiga that is off-limits to the tiger; it alone can mete out death at will. Amur tigers have been known to eat everything from salmon and ducks to adult brown bears.

Even more so the wild version than the caged version, the tiger is not bullshittin'!
posted by Pirate-Bartender-Zombie-Monkey at 6:29 PM on November 9, 2010 [4 favorites]

Well, you do know what those who underestimate tigers always say, right?
posted by adipocere at 6:36 PM on November 9, 2010

I thought the same thing, Twirlypen. I googled the final name in the story, and the only result was a Google Books result from which the story was excerpted. I'm at work so I don't know how much of the book is online that way because I'm at work, but it's a start.

mreleganza, you could have just read the first sentence after the author attribution, which mentions it's an edited excerpt.

And what a teaser it was! Sell! Well done, excerpter-guy!
posted by IAmBroom at 8:28 PM on November 9, 2010

John Vaillant talks about his book on Powells wherein he references this tiger attack.
posted by unliteral at 8:35 PM on November 9, 2010

I feel bad for the victim's family, but I'm rooting for the tigers.
posted by TooFewShoes at 10:11 PM on November 9, 2010

I read the book months ago, great.

Also check out Man Eaters Of Kumaon which is really really good, a classic tiger book, better IMO.
posted by stbalbach at 9:12 PM on November 11, 2010