"Co zrobię z Yeti, kiedy już go znajdę? Powinienem umieścić go w ZOO, ugościć w swoim domu, a może zamknąć w muzeum?"
Daniel C. Taylor przez niemal 60 lat badań zadawał sobie te pytania. Doprowadziły go do wyjaśnienia zagadki legendarnego człowieka śniegu.
Badacz znalazł odpowiedź w dolinie Barun – najbardziej dzikiej dżungli Nepalu, miejscu, gdzie w duchu idei Thoreau człowiek żyje w harmonii z naturą, korzystając z jej darów i otaczając ochroną. Dzięki determinacji i zaangażowaniu Taylora, w Himalajach utworzono kilka parków narodowych i krajobrazowych, wytyczono także największy w Azji obszar chroniony.
Poszukiwania Yeti dały początek nowym sposobom dbania o najbardziej zagrożone rejony naszej planety, a jednocześnie przyniosły rozwiązanie odwiecznego dylematu: kim (lub czym) tak naprawdę jest Yeti – fascynującym zwierzęciem człekopodobnym czy może symbolem czegoś głębszego, co drzemie w każdym z nas?
I just don't think this book was as advertised. This felt predominantly like an argument for sustaining the natural world with some personal anecdotes regarding the author's research into bears. I thought we were getting a presentation and analysis of why people believe in, seek, or try to prove/disprove the Yeti's existence. Maybe I misinterpreted the book's description. Additionally, the writing style was tough. There was a heavy-handed and jumbled use of prose. I'm sure it flowed beautifully in the author's head as he was writing, but on paper some of the text was almost incomprehensible.
This is a well-constructed, scientific approach to the myth of the Yeti built on proper research done in Nepal, specifically the Barun jungle, the last wilderness of the kingdom. While rigorous in its account of the data collection process, it retains a sense of wonder at the natural world, the culture of the Himalayas and the attitude of the people there, covering perspectives of characters from the local villager to the royal family. It is also a warming and insightful treatise on how humanity can mend its relationship with nature which might form a blueprint for conservation efforts in the future.
I was stunned and utterly fascinated by a book that read like an adventure tale and yet was scientific to its core, with the author's adventures of a life lived in the Himalaya one transformed into a life honed to develop worldwide educational skills to promote self-development of habitat-imperiled regions. At no point does YETI become a boring tome of pedanticism, but rather keeps its focus on wilderness, our need for it, a fundamental yearning to be joined with other recognized human needs. The YETI satisfies that in us even as we read it. Enthralling, a read that satisfies to our very cores in a way that is unique.
Not bad. It has its moments, especially chapters focused on adventure and scientific aspects, but many times the author strays too far from the topic towards his own life philosophy, which is described in a hard to digest way and can get boring at times.