Abstract

Tigers of the World, Second Edition explores tiger biology, ecology, conservation, management, and the science and technology that make this possible. In 1988, when the first edition was published, tiger conservation was still in its infancy, and two decades later there has been a revolution not only in what is known, but how information about tigers is obtained and disseminated. In the fast changing world of conservation, there is a great need to summarize the vast and current state-of-the-art, to put this into historical perspective, and to speculate in what yet remains to be done.

Tigers of the World, Second Edition fulfills this need by bringing together in a unique way the world’s leading tiger experts into one volume. Despite the challenges ahead, there are bright spots in this story and lessons aplenty not only for tiger specialists but large carnivore specialists, conservation biologists, wildlife managers, natural resource policymakers, and most importantly the caring public.

• Examines the past twenty years of research from the world’s leading tiger experts on biology, politics, and conservation
• Describes latest methods used to disseminate and obtain information needed for conservation and care of this species
• Includes coverage on genetics and ecology, policy, poaching and trade, captive breeding and farming, and the status of Asia’s last wild tigers
• Excellent resource for grad courses in conservation biology, wildlife management, and veterinary programs
• New volume continues the classic Noyes Series in Animal Behavior, Ecology, Conservation and Management

"Ron Tilson, director of conservation at Minnesota Zoo, co-author of a new edition of the encyclopedic Tigers of the World and, with decades of fieldwork in Asia's tiger habitats under his belt, [is] an authority - maybe the authority - on our most endangered big cat."-"Tale of the Cat" by Andrew Marshall (Time magazine)

"An excellent follow-up to the 1987 publication… The 102 contributors represent a broad panel of distinguished international researchers… [E]ach chapter’s terminology and research descriptions are layperson-friendly. There is very little repetition between the two editions; the first focused heavily on tigers in captivity, while the second emphasizes wild tiger conservation, history, economics, and political battles…. Highly recommended. Academic, general, and professional audiences, all levels."-- CHOICE

"Some of the world's most eminent researchers confirm this in a new academic book, Tigers of the World. In it Ronald Tilson, an expert at Minnesota Zoo, reveals he attended a meeting in Beijing where Chinese scientists admitted that their captive "pure-bred" South China tigers were anything but. He wrote: "A Chinese molecular biologist, Daniel Xu, presented the surprising conclusions that no 'pure' South China tiger lineages are left living; all living captive tigers are mixed with Indochinese tiger genes." -- The Sunday Times

"Tilson, who is probably best known for his work with tigers, wrote the book on tiger conservation -- literally. "Tigers of the World," published in 1988 and updated last year, "put together in one volume, for the first time, the state of science about tigers," said Phillip Nyhus, professor of environmental studies at Colby University in Maine