A terror of our own making

⭑⭑⭑⭑⭑  I may be in the minority, but I am on the side of the tiger in this heartbreaking, yet fascinating, book. The Champawat Tigress killed and ate more than 450 people in Nepal and India in the early 1900s; here, we learn how injury, colonization and habitat loss likely led to the creation of this fearsome man-eater. No Beast So Fierce is an amazing cautionary tale on how we bring about deadly consequences with our foolhardy insistence on 'civilizing' colonized lands by clearing the wild jungle and forest habitats needed by apex predators, who require vast territories to survive.

This was a gripping and informative read that had me enthralled. It detailed the expansion of the British empire into India and how that impacted the delicate balance of human habitation coexisting with the natural world. It is sad how human progress exacts a high price on the creatures that share the planet with us.

We also learn quite a lot of the background behind Jim Corbett, the man who ultimately brings down the tigress. As an Irishman who grew up in India, his life was unusual and provided him with the exceptional skill needed to face down the Champawat tigress. She was the first, but not the only man-eater he killed before his life took him to works of conservation and safeguarding these beautiful, majestic creatures. An awe-inspiring tale. I don't read a lot of nonfiction but this book was captivating in such a way as to make me yearn for more books like this.