A poet/scholar’s lyrical and engrossing quest for that most beautiful of beasts, the tiger.

The great-great-granddaughter of Charles Darwin and an acclaimed poet, Ruth Padel was at a crossroads in her life when she set out to visit a tropical jungle and wildlife sanctuary in India. That visit began a remarkable two-year journey through eleven countries in search of that most elusive and beautiful animal: the tiger..

In Buddhism the tiger represents the ground you start from, the beginning of your journey; in Nepal tiger skins are used to show human power over the wildest possible nature; traditional Chinese medicine makes numerous healing powders from tiger parts; tigers are the quintessence of strength, beauty, and sheer power. However, the very characteristics that make tigers so captivating are also placing them among the endangered species of the world. Only five thousand tigers still survive in the wild, and they are scattered throughout fourteen countries..

Padel discovers the wonders of tigers through the eyes of the defenders of the wild—the heroic scientists, forest guards, and conservationists who are battling corruption and the rampant trade in illegal tiger products. Tigers in Red Weather is a beautiful blend of natural history, travel literature, and memoir, and a searing, intimate portrait of an animal we have loved and feared almost to extinction.