"Famed for its predatory and sexual prowess, the tiger has been revered as a potent symbol of ferocity and fertility among many cultures. But its strength and beauty have contributed to its downfall: nearly every part of a tiger's carcass has a value to poachers, and today there are fewer than 5,000 tigers left at large in the wild." "The tiger only became aggressive towards humans in response to the decline of its natural habitat and its relentless persecution in India during the time of the Raj and its aftermath. And although the tiger is initially curious when humans first appear in its territories, it is an animal that prefers to avoid man. In Tiger, written from the personal perspective of an active conservationist, Susie Green overturns many received ideas: the solitary, prowling man-eater that has been the stuff of boys'-own fiction, has in fact a familial structure very similar to that of the domestic cat, and a complex social one too. The author provides an impassioned and moving account of the problems besetting both the present and the possible future of this endangered animal, from local issues of reserve management to outdated negative attitudes. Superbly illustrated, Tiger is a celebration of one of the world's most admired creatures at a time when its survival has never been more uncertain."--Jacket.