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White Magic
The white tiger is God's loneliest creature. Idolized at a distance, it has been inbred into a lifetime of captivity where it lives a totally exploited existence, forever homeless. A pawn of what activist Tim Harrison calls "CONservationists," the white tiger came to America as a Bengal oddity - one of perhaps seven anywhere. Mohini was the offspring of parents carrying the same gene that produced the white color, an anomaly occurring once in ten thousand births. When she arrived at the Washington, D.C., zoo in 1960, she was a media sensation. Her appearance captured the country's imagination and her offspring ended up with Vegas showmen Siegfried and Roy, creating a breeding binge - all inbred and susceptible to genetic deformities. On the frontlines as America's leading activist for federal legislation to stop ownership of exotic animals, Harrison poignantly explains the impossibility of properly caring for most exotic animals, as well as the inherent dangers. White Magic documents the disastrous underground culture of exploitation that has doomed the white tiger's very existence.
136 pages, Paperback
Published September 30, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 25, 2021
This is Tim Harrison's companion book to his film documentary "The Conservation Game." It rips back the magician's curtain to expose the true lives of captive tigers and the abuse they endure in the name of false conservation. As a wildlife biologist, I appreciated Harrison's scientific research blended with a simple writing style, revealing the exploitation of these majestic animals. I agree 100% with his push to have all captive big cats in the USA microchipped, so they aren't "lost" and so easily discarded. If there is to be captive wildlife in the US or elsewhere, individuals should be documented, microchipped, and regulated, as any domestic species would be that is kept as a pet. If you haven't heard of the Big Cat Public Safety Act, please check it out. Harrison is a forerunner in that legislation. He risks all fighting for the rights of big cats to keep both them and the public safe. If you love wildlife, let it remain free. If you cut a flower's stem, it dies. One may possess its beauty for a time, but the flower it is condemned to death the second it is picked. A picture with a tiger cub has a cost beyond "cash or credit." The tiger's health and freedom are the true cost. Awesome book. Read it and have your eyes opened to the reality of the plight of captive tigers, inbred and loved quite literally to death.
February 16, 2024
Significant In The Extreme
Penned by a retired American police officer, firefighter, and EMT paramedic, “White Magic” contained a wealth of wisdoms and warnings that made the book feel special on so many levels. Tim Harrison’s words, in collaboration with his longtime colleague, William F. Randolph, Jr., got me thinking about the plight of my all-time favorite animal, the Tiger.
In this book, Harrison presented a succinct and straightforward message about how these magnificent – and, in my opinion, sacred – big cats are being abused, illegally bred, and inhumanely treated in the United States of America.
As I turned each page, gripped with anxiety, worry, anger, dread, and disgust, I couldn’t help but realize just how bad the problem really was, and how few people – like Harrison, Carole Baskin, and others – are fighting to ensure the safety of this keystone species.
I also couldn’t help but wonder that in the so-called land of Tigers, namely India, we face similar situations of in-breeding and entertainment exploitation, albeit not on a private-use level.
There was even an alarm recently that a certain Golden Tiger, aka Liger, found in Kaziranga National Park (Assam, India) was probably victim to in-breeding. And don’t get me started on the depraved ‘tiger farms’ in China, and elsewhere.
The plague of capitalism is real where these magnificent animals are concerned. In “White Magic”, Tim Harrison has made a case that can’t be refuted, mainly because it is based on human greed – a constant that nearly everyone will agree is sadly incurable.
Ever since I heard about Harrison in the eye-opening 2022 documentary “The Conservation Game”, I have admired and appreciated his unrelenting aim to do right by his own principles, especially to rescue and rehabilitate innocent animals. Over the years, as “White Magic” further explored, he has had the added burden of having to clean up avoidable messes created by misguided people.
Policies and laws are the main reason thousands of Tigers are being misused and exploited in the United States of America. With The Big Cat Public Safety Act – enacted on December 20, 2022 – Harrison and others have achieved a gold standard in conservation.
The law has criminalized the private ownership of big cats, particularly as pets. It has also prohibited exhibitors from granting public contact with big cats, including cubs, to the public. The policy also imposed restrictions on the commercialization, breeding, ownership, and use of certain big cat species.
The public, myself included, have long been unaware of how some so-called celebrity names in wildlife circles – especially on TV and social media – have actually been villains not heroes when it comes to keeping Tigers, and other species, safe.
“White Magic” is more than a work of non-fiction. In my opinion, it’s an educational text book and veritable awareness guide to all those out there who prioritize wildlife conservation and understand, to some degree, the irreplaceable impact big cats have on entire ecosystems.
I was fortunate to be the recipient of Tim Harrison’s kindness when I merely messaged him on Instagram requesting pointers on where I could buy “White Magic” in India because, apparently, the paperback was not easy to get here. Gratitude for his sending me a signed copy free of charge wouldn’t quite cut it, because of the powerful message I discovered in this book.
His signed-copy words “Stay Wild!!!” not only inspired me but also hinted at the need for me to do my part to spread awareness and fight for a future in which Tigers – especially the rare genetic White Tiger variant – stay wild.
There’s a sanctity in leaving Nature alone and, by understanding that we as humans don’t need to control or conquer everything, there’s a secret sacredness.
This book changed my understanding and perspective on how easy it is to misuse Tigers and other protected species, and how much smarter we need to be to make it that much harder for greedy individuals to take advantage of legal loopholes just so they can stroke their own egos by stealing stripes that never belonged to them.
Going beyond mere words on paper, “White Magic” was a definitive call to arms, one that demanded we show love, care, and most importantly humanity when it comes to dealing with the majestic, magnificent, and “should stay wild” Tigers around the globe.
Original: https://mrmercottreviewer.com/book-re...
Penned by a retired American police officer, firefighter, and EMT paramedic, “White Magic” contained a wealth of wisdoms and warnings that made the book feel special on so many levels. Tim Harrison’s words, in collaboration with his longtime colleague, William F. Randolph, Jr., got me thinking about the plight of my all-time favorite animal, the Tiger.
In this book, Harrison presented a succinct and straightforward message about how these magnificent – and, in my opinion, sacred – big cats are being abused, illegally bred, and inhumanely treated in the United States of America.
As I turned each page, gripped with anxiety, worry, anger, dread, and disgust, I couldn’t help but realize just how bad the problem really was, and how few people – like Harrison, Carole Baskin, and others – are fighting to ensure the safety of this keystone species.
I also couldn’t help but wonder that in the so-called land of Tigers, namely India, we face similar situations of in-breeding and entertainment exploitation, albeit not on a private-use level.
There was even an alarm recently that a certain Golden Tiger, aka Liger, found in Kaziranga National Park (Assam, India) was probably victim to in-breeding. And don’t get me started on the depraved ‘tiger farms’ in China, and elsewhere.
The plague of capitalism is real where these magnificent animals are concerned. In “White Magic”, Tim Harrison has made a case that can’t be refuted, mainly because it is based on human greed – a constant that nearly everyone will agree is sadly incurable.
Ever since I heard about Harrison in the eye-opening 2022 documentary “The Conservation Game”, I have admired and appreciated his unrelenting aim to do right by his own principles, especially to rescue and rehabilitate innocent animals. Over the years, as “White Magic” further explored, he has had the added burden of having to clean up avoidable messes created by misguided people.
Policies and laws are the main reason thousands of Tigers are being misused and exploited in the United States of America. With The Big Cat Public Safety Act – enacted on December 20, 2022 – Harrison and others have achieved a gold standard in conservation.
The law has criminalized the private ownership of big cats, particularly as pets. It has also prohibited exhibitors from granting public contact with big cats, including cubs, to the public. The policy also imposed restrictions on the commercialization, breeding, ownership, and use of certain big cat species.
The public, myself included, have long been unaware of how some so-called celebrity names in wildlife circles – especially on TV and social media – have actually been villains not heroes when it comes to keeping Tigers, and other species, safe.
“White Magic” is more than a work of non-fiction. In my opinion, it’s an educational text book and veritable awareness guide to all those out there who prioritize wildlife conservation and understand, to some degree, the irreplaceable impact big cats have on entire ecosystems.
I was fortunate to be the recipient of Tim Harrison’s kindness when I merely messaged him on Instagram requesting pointers on where I could buy “White Magic” in India because, apparently, the paperback was not easy to get here. Gratitude for his sending me a signed copy free of charge wouldn’t quite cut it, because of the powerful message I discovered in this book.
His signed-copy words “Stay Wild!!!” not only inspired me but also hinted at the need for me to do my part to spread awareness and fight for a future in which Tigers – especially the rare genetic White Tiger variant – stay wild.
There’s a sanctity in leaving Nature alone and, by understanding that we as humans don’t need to control or conquer everything, there’s a secret sacredness.
This book changed my understanding and perspective on how easy it is to misuse Tigers and other protected species, and how much smarter we need to be to make it that much harder for greedy individuals to take advantage of legal loopholes just so they can stroke their own egos by stealing stripes that never belonged to them.
Going beyond mere words on paper, “White Magic” was a definitive call to arms, one that demanded we show love, care, and most importantly humanity when it comes to dealing with the majestic, magnificent, and “should stay wild” Tigers around the globe.
Original: https://mrmercottreviewer.com/book-re...
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews