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Tara: A Tigress
114 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1981
27 people want to read
About the author
Billy Arjan Singh
10 books12 followersKunwar "Billy" Arjan Singh was an Indian hunter turned conservationist and author. He was the first who tried to reintroduce tigers and leopards from captivity into the wild.
Arjan Singh was widely honoured for his contributions to conservation. He received one of India's highest civilian national awards, the Padma Shri, in 1995. In 1996, he was awarded the World Wildlife Gold Medal, and obtained the Order of the Golden Ark in 1997. In 2004, Arjan Singh received the Getty Award from the World Wildlife Fund, for his innovative contribution to conservation and for creating public awareness. In 2006 he recieved two further awards, and then
the Lifetime Award for Tiger Conservation.
He wrote 9 autobiographical wildlife books about his experiences.
Arjan Singh was widely honoured for his contributions to conservation. He received one of India's highest civilian national awards, the Padma Shri, in 1995. In 1996, he was awarded the World Wildlife Gold Medal, and obtained the Order of the Golden Ark in 1997. In 2004, Arjan Singh received the Getty Award from the World Wildlife Fund, for his innovative contribution to conservation and for creating public awareness. In 2006 he recieved two further awards, and then
the Lifetime Award for Tiger Conservation.
He wrote 9 autobiographical wildlife books about his experiences.
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July 13, 2020
This book, akin to almost every other animal tale, is a deeply humane story of a unique experiment. Primarily, consistent with conservationists such as Jim Corbett, hunting held a fascination for Arjan Singh. He confesses to slaying as many as seven tigers. When the Indian government imposed a ban on tiger hunts he quit the hobby and took up the cudgel in defence of the tiger's worsening situation.
Singh would probably be one of the first people to admit that he's a contentious figure, becoming extremely ostracized for helping to put 26 shikar (sport hunting) companies out of business. It was he who, in 1969, suggested India should inflict a proscription on shooting tigers for sport. He was deeply involved with project Tiger and his work led to the creation of Dudhwa National Park.
In the early '70s Singh bred a leopard cub, Prince, to adulthood and introduced it into the jungle. Prince was followed by two others before the arrival of Tara. Tara was the subject of a trial sponsored by Dr Bernhard Grzimek of the Frankfurt Zoological Society. She became the first captive-bred tigress to have been re-introduced into the wild.
Tara, who was born in Twycross Zoo in England, brought up by 'Billy' Arjan Singh on his farm, 'Tiger Haven' in western Uttar Pradesh, and who then disappeared into the jungles of Dudhwa National Park bordering Nepal, became the subject of a controversy, raging ferociously in wildlife circles. The old nature-nurture debate was once again activated. The reason: Singh's critics said that Tara turned into a man-eater, proving that wild cats bred in captivity are no answer to the problem of conservation. Singh strongly disagreed.
Singh had wisely realised Tara's association with people could lead to later problems. He also knew that once word got out the tigress was now living independently that a great deal would routinely be blamed on her.
Initial reports claimed that Tara was doing things like preventing workers harvesting sugar cane. She was said to approach them and rest in the cane itself. Other locals accused her of attacking domestic cattle. These were both proven incorrect. The attacks started in Hilly's district, Koery and officials soon started to believe that Tara was the most likely culprit.
Area officials stated that because she'd been raised by, and with, people she did not avoid them as will most tigers. They felt that as Tara associated humans with the provision of food and comfort she would approach villages.
There was also the issue of whether or not she could she hunt enough to feed herself. Though no doubt exists that instinct had developed some of her skills, to what
The author of this book carried a larger than life persona. A rover of the Indian wild, an indefatigable and assiduous crusader for the wilderness, Billy dedicated a fat sixty years of his mortal existence in his struggle to keep tigers from disappearing. Billy was born in a Sikh royal family in 1917 and grew up in pre-independent India when gaming was a big sport. As a boy, he was, by his own admission ‘bloodthirsty and murderous'. He shot his first leopard at the age of 12 and his first tiger at 14!
Tara’s story ranks with that of Elsa, the lioness, whom Joy Adamson reared in Kenya.
What happened in reality? Did Tara turn man-eater? Was Tara actually responsible for the deaths of 24 people?
Read the fascinating tale of Tara, a Tigress. You would be charmed. I promise.
Singh would probably be one of the first people to admit that he's a contentious figure, becoming extremely ostracized for helping to put 26 shikar (sport hunting) companies out of business. It was he who, in 1969, suggested India should inflict a proscription on shooting tigers for sport. He was deeply involved with project Tiger and his work led to the creation of Dudhwa National Park.
In the early '70s Singh bred a leopard cub, Prince, to adulthood and introduced it into the jungle. Prince was followed by two others before the arrival of Tara. Tara was the subject of a trial sponsored by Dr Bernhard Grzimek of the Frankfurt Zoological Society. She became the first captive-bred tigress to have been re-introduced into the wild.
Tara, who was born in Twycross Zoo in England, brought up by 'Billy' Arjan Singh on his farm, 'Tiger Haven' in western Uttar Pradesh, and who then disappeared into the jungles of Dudhwa National Park bordering Nepal, became the subject of a controversy, raging ferociously in wildlife circles. The old nature-nurture debate was once again activated. The reason: Singh's critics said that Tara turned into a man-eater, proving that wild cats bred in captivity are no answer to the problem of conservation. Singh strongly disagreed.
Singh had wisely realised Tara's association with people could lead to later problems. He also knew that once word got out the tigress was now living independently that a great deal would routinely be blamed on her.
Initial reports claimed that Tara was doing things like preventing workers harvesting sugar cane. She was said to approach them and rest in the cane itself. Other locals accused her of attacking domestic cattle. These were both proven incorrect. The attacks started in Hilly's district, Koery and officials soon started to believe that Tara was the most likely culprit.
Area officials stated that because she'd been raised by, and with, people she did not avoid them as will most tigers. They felt that as Tara associated humans with the provision of food and comfort she would approach villages.
There was also the issue of whether or not she could she hunt enough to feed herself. Though no doubt exists that instinct had developed some of her skills, to what
The author of this book carried a larger than life persona. A rover of the Indian wild, an indefatigable and assiduous crusader for the wilderness, Billy dedicated a fat sixty years of his mortal existence in his struggle to keep tigers from disappearing. Billy was born in a Sikh royal family in 1917 and grew up in pre-independent India when gaming was a big sport. As a boy, he was, by his own admission ‘bloodthirsty and murderous'. He shot his first leopard at the age of 12 and his first tiger at 14!
Tara’s story ranks with that of Elsa, the lioness, whom Joy Adamson reared in Kenya.
What happened in reality? Did Tara turn man-eater? Was Tara actually responsible for the deaths of 24 people?
Read the fascinating tale of Tara, a Tigress. You would be charmed. I promise.
Displaying 1 of 1 review