The astonishing true story of the man-eating tiger that claimed a record 437 human lives“Thrilling. Fascinating. Exciting.” —Wall Street Journal • ”Riveting. Haunting.” —Scientific AmericanNepal, c. 1900: A lone tigress began stalking humans, moving like a phantom through the lush foothills of the Himalayas. As the death toll reached an astonishing 436 lives, a young local hunter was dispatched … death toll reached an astonishing 436 lives, a young local hunter was dispatched to stop the man-eater before it struck again. This is the extraordinary true story of the “Champawat Man-Eater,” the deadliest animal in recorded history.
One part pulse-pounding thriller, one part soulful natural history of the endangered Royal Bengal tiger, No Beast So Fierce is Dane Huckelbridge’s gripping nonfiction account of the Champawat tiger, which terrified northern India and Nepal from 1900 to 1907, and Jim Corbett, the legendary hunter who pursued it. Huckelbridge’s masterful telling also reveals that the tiger, Corbett, and the forces that brought them together are far more complex and fascinating than a simple man-versus-beast tale.
At the turn of the twentieth century as British rule of India tightened and bounties were placed on tiger’s heads, a tigress was shot in the mouth by a poacher. Injured but alive, it turned from its usual hunting habits to easier prey—humans. For the next seven years, this man-made killer terrified locals, growing bolder with every kill. Colonial authorities, desperate for help, finally called upon Jim Corbett, a then-unknown railroad employee of humble origins who had grown up hunting game through the hills of Kumaon.
Like a detective on the trail of a serial killer, Corbett tracked the tiger’s movements in the dense, hilly woodlands—meanwhile the animal shadowed Corbett in return. Then, after a heartbreaking new kill of a young woman whom he was unable to protect, Corbett followed the gruesome blood trail deep into the forest where hunter and tiger would meet at last.
Drawing upon on-the-ground research in the Indian Himalayan region where he retraced Corbett’s footsteps, Huckelbridge brings to life one of the great adventure stories of the twentieth century. And yet Huckelbridge brings a deeper, more complex story into focus, placing the episode into its full context for the first time: that of colonialism’s disturbing impact on the ancient balance between man and tiger; and that of Corbett’s own evolution from a celebrated hunter to a principled conservationist who in time would earn fame for his devotion to saving the Bengal tiger and its habitat. Today the Corbett Tiger Reserve preserves 1,200 km of wilderness; within its borders is Jim Corbett National Park, India’s oldest and most prestigious national park and a vital haven for the very animals Corbett once hunted.
An unforgettable tale, magnificently told, No Beast So Fierce is an epic of beauty, terror, survival, and redemption for the ages.
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I couldn’t put this book down, about a man-eating tiger in India in the foothills of the Himalayas. Great information about tigers, India, the effect of colonization and development on the local communities and wildlife habitat. It was interesting, atmospheric, and a gripping adventure story.
This is a true story of a man-eating tiger. Bengal Tigers do not usually interact with humans. But one tiger was wounded in the jaw removing one canine tooth completely and half of another forcing the tiger to get easier prey to survive–human beings. This story tells of how man has interfered with the tiger habitat and also hunting them almost to extinction. In no way does the book condone tigers eating humans but it is a call to man to correct the delicate balance in the entire ecosystem. It also tells of the man who finally killed the tiger to end the carnage one tiger made on one small area in the jungle.
Got bored after 100 plus pages and did not finish
An amazing true adventure in the classic man vs. nature genre.
Interesting book about a very interesting person, Jim Corbett. Mr. Corbett wrote his own accounts of his efforts to track and kill man-eaters, which I also recommend.
This book is well researched, full of real-life adventure and drama, and has a satisfying life twist at the end. Thought-provoking for our conservation efforts as well. Great gem!
It was riveting. Wonderful non-fiction account of the history of this tiger’s attacks in the area. Then this naturalist/hunter decides to track the tiger and put a stop to its attacks. Finding the tiger turns into an exciting detective hunt. We follow as the tiger is tracked day by day and finally found and eliminated. Really fast reading and exciting adventure. Loved it. And well written.
A well written accounting of a great story. It is an amplified Jaws except on terra firma. It is hard not to root for the majestic tiger – it would in fact be easy if it were politicians or lawyers he was stalking in the story.
The magnificent predator finally meets his match, but only because his enemy, man, outnumbers him so decisively.
I had a feeling this book would hook me from the get-go. I was right. No Beast So Fierce is much more than a cautionary tale of the Man-Eater of Champawat, a Royal Bengal tiger responsible for hundreds of deaths in Nepal and India, or, of Edward James Corbett, the legendary hunter who shot and killed the big cat in 1907. Dane Huckelbridge’s remarkable narrative also reveals the circumstances that cause tigers to stalk human prey as well as Corbett’s transformation into a conservationist and ardent champion for protecting the animals he once hunted.
This is the gripping true story of the Champawat tiger that likely killed over 400 people in Nepal and India in the early 1900’s, and the legendary hunter, Jim Corbett, who finally killed him. The writer creates a thrilling nonfiction account that viscerally describes the animal and their attack mode as well as methodically explaining the natural and man-made forces that contributed to the creation of the man-eater. The book finishes with the thrilling final hunt.