Tigers in Red Weather: A Quest to See the Last Wild Tigers

Padel's memoir of her trips to various parts of the Eastern hemisphere to spot tigers in the wild begins with a string of personal setbacks at home in London, including the dissolution of a long romantic relationship. Although her thoughts return intermittently to this man and his stereotypically insensitive behavior after their breakup, the attempt to inject an emotional undercurrent into the story of her travels is distracting. Fortunately, more of her tale shows a poet's eye for the details of her exotic surroundings and a deep sympathy with the people who serve as her guides (Padel is a poet and chair of U.K.'s Poetry Society; her title is taken from a Wallace Stevens poem). As she hangs out with the scientists and other conservators who work at tiger reserves throughout the Indian subcontinent and Asia, Padel slowly learns that keeping the great beasts from extinction is not a clear-cut issue, as preservationists must also take into account the impact of tiger populations on neighboring communities. "How can you sympathize with tigers when you haven't enough to eat?" she wonders. The indifference of some governments to illegal poaching adds increased difficulties, but despite the many reasons to be pessimistic, Padel still manages to find cause for hope, passing on the names of tiger-focused charities for concerned readers' donations. (Sept.)