Cats of Shambala

by Tippi Hedren, Theodore Taylor

The actress recounts the experiences that she and her husband encountered when they collected a cast of nearly one hundred lions--many raised by Miss Hedren herself--in order to make a film about African wildlife

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Memoir, Film

287 pages, Hardcover

First published August 1, 1985

About the author

Nathalie Kay "Tippi" Hedren (b. 1930) is an American actress, animal rights activist, and former fashion model. She made her film debut in The Birds in 1963, followed by the title role in Marnie in 1964. She has been involved with animal rescue at Shambala Preserve, an 80-acre wildlife habitat which she founded in 1983, north of Los Angeles. Her daughter is actress Melanie Griffith, and her granddaughter is actress Dakota Johnson.

Reviews

[Harrison Rip · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you haven't seen Roar, you really don't need to read this. But EVERYONE needs to see Roar.
If you've seen Roar, it's fascinating to hear how absurd the experience of making it was, with no acknowledgement that this was the worst idea in filmmaking history. I can't believe Tippi STILL lives with all these big cats after getting hurt so many times.

[Eyehavenofilter · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a re-read for me since I received this book as a gift from Tippi Hedren when I actually visited her at Shambala many years ago. The sprawling "ranch" covers 180 acres and is home to lions, tigers leopards, cougars and many other large cats, raised from newborn cubs. There are also giraffes, elephants and a host of other wild life. They are separated from the public by 20 foot high chain link fences topped with barbed wire, but make no mistake, it's the humans who are caged, in walkways through the spacious land in which the animals roam free. We were cautioned not to wear bright colors, short sleeved shirts, shorts or perfume of any kind, and to maintain a 5 foot distance from the fences. Small placards of palm prints with one finger missing were attached every 10 or so feet to remind us not to touch the fence, as a humorous reminder.
This is a personal diary of Tippi's life , and a love , hate relationship with all of these amazing animals that she cared for and often rescued from abusive owners and failing zoos who had no place to surrender an animal that had gotten too big or too dangerous to care for. She never said no, and her gates were always open.
She even ended up with the first crossbreed between a tiger and a lion, which never happens in the wild, since these two cats do not cross paths in the wild.
This is lavishly illustrated with photos of the animals that she loved, and she shared the joys and the excitement and horror of being attacked , while filming,
This is a wild ride through the life of a movie star who found a purpose for the second half of her life, and it's an amazing " tail ".

[Sarah AK · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't watch a lot of movies these days, but when I do, it's probably a bad movie. I love bad movies, and Roar was DEFINITELY a bad movie. An anxiety-fueled 90 minutes of pure insanity and chaos. It's easy to get caught up in how terrible a movie is, and laugh at its failings, but this book reminds me how much is often hiding on the other side. Not just the incidents that made this "the most dangerous movie ever made," but also all the pain and heartbreak that these people went through (99% their own doing, to be sure). While I found myself scoffing out loud at all the idiocy, hypocrisy, and single-minded obsession of Tippi and Noel (to be fair, Tippi is thankfully at least a little self aware), I also found myself so, so heartbroken in the later parts of this book. Again, 99% their own doing, but tragic nonetheless. Even if a by-product of this truly terrible idea, I'm glad Tippi found her life's purpose, and I feel no doubt that she truly loved these animals. I'm also glad that times change, and so much that angers me about this book is no longer occurring 40 years later. I can breathe a little easier knowing they don't breed their cats anymore, and they actually rescue them instead of just hoarding them. I will be giving a 5-minute PowerPoint presentation on Roar to a group of friends, and thanks to this book, I actually have a lot of sympathy now instead of just jokes (but yes, lots of jokes too).

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book. It is about Tippi Hedren (and her family) in the 1970's and their desire to make a movie about big cats. It is really a warm and sometimes heartbreaking story of the tenacity of this family in holding on to a dream. They went through so much in the making of their movie (Roar!) and the things they learned about big cats (the hard way - with many visits to the emergency room) make an interesting read. Unfortunately, Roar was pretty much panned when it came out in theaters. I have seen it and although the dialog is kind of "corney", the big cats are simply breathtaking. In reading this book, I came to know some of the life stories of my favorite animal actors in the movie. Tippi Hedren now runs The Shambala Preserve in California. Shambala is a nonprofit animal preserve that is home to almost seventy animals including African lions, Siberian and Bengal tigers, leopards, servals, mountain lions, bobcats, lynx, and Florida panther. Please visit their website at www.shambala.org to find out how you can help these beautiful animals.

[Sarah McMullan · Rating 3 out of 5]

You must watch the film ROAR!
The perfect companion to this, ROAR is the film they were trying to make with the big cats in Africa.
Shelved for many years, it was only recently released...ans for good reason.
The big cats were out of control. something like 47 crew were hospitalised with the head of cinematography having nearly the top of his head ripped off as well as limbs nearly severed. (He nearly died.)
Goldie Hawn required plastic surgery to her face and scalp after one scene, and the continuity is shot with regards to woulds and hair, mainly because the big cats kept trying to chew the male actors facial hair off, and wardrobe couldnt glue to healing wounds.

While l admire their dedication to saving the animals, trying to use them in a film; thinking they could be controlled via a special bond; & that pack animals en masse would obey a handful of humans is just ludicrous and dangerous. lt also flies in the face of every scientific rule of study.

A Hollywood fairytale she tries to paint with pixie dust - look behind the scenes.

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful account of Tippi Hedren's life with the big cats. Tippi tells of living with dozens of lions, tigers, cougars, cheetahs, and leopards. It's all centered around the making of the movie ROAR, which is excellent by the way, just for the films of the cats themselves. Tippi tells what is a fascinating story. I couldn't put it down!

[Enrico · Rating 4 out of 5]

Besides the making of the film Roar, which originally attracted me to this book, the author offers a lot of insights on big cat behaviour that I personally found very interesting and I'll probably never forget.

[Annthelibrarian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continuing with my fascination of Tippi Hedren and Shambala ...

[Janice Forbes · Rating 3 out of 5]

A gripping read, about a disastrous episode in film making, hopefully never to be repeated

[Kay Edwards · Rating 5 out of 5]

a very interesting read

[Tristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wild book! Tippi Hedren is amazing woman and this book highlights an incredible time in her life when she raised a variety of big cats in both her own home(!) and her Soledad Canyon preserve that is now the Shambala Sanctuary. I cringed many times in reading how intensely fierce and life-threatening even the most loving big cats can be and I was entranced by the great photography that accompanies the book. I found this (signed by Tippi herself) copy in a garbage dump in Petaluma and I'm so glad I rescued it and got to read it. The next time I am in Encinatas, I am definitely going to visit the legacy of big cats that began with the stories in this book.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderfully written book about the story behind the making of the fabulous big cat movie "Roar". I saw the movie many years ago when it first came out and have been obssessed with big cats ever since! It was the most enchanting, wonderful movie and the story behing its making and the Shambala reserve is captivating.If you read this book, don't forget to get the movie and also the making of the movie, available at the Roar Foundation website.

[Blank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A must read for any fan of Roar or big cats. The book primarily focuses on the raising of the cats so fans of Roar may come away wanting more. However this is currently this is the best way to learn about the production of Roar, so take what you can get. All in all it's a good read, Tippi learned a lot while raising the cats and does a good job passing on the information. The reader could probably (though shouldn't) successfully raise a lion after reading this.

[Kelsey Johnson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think about this book every once in awhile, and I read it in high school! Still looking for a copy to buy for myself :)