A Naturalist's Journeys on the Roof of the World

Advance praise for Tibet Wild:

"Schaller is a guiding light in global wildlife conservation. In this richly textured chronicle of five decades of world travels, he combines a provocative apologia with unforgettable tales of his encounters with gorillas, tigers, pandas, snow leopards, and jaguars. ... Schaller’s forthright, enlightening book of discovery reseeds our appreciation for the wonders of the planet, perception of the 'heavy human hand on the landscape,' and recognition of the need for a global 'conservation ethic.'"

—Booklist, starred review

“Through his work and the work of other dedicated conservationists in Asia, the chiru has made a comeback. Schaller’s single-minded dedication to wildlife preservation in Chang Tang and around the world is genuinely inspiring.”

—Kirkus

George B. Schaller, one of the world’s leading field biologists and conservationists, has worked in 23 countries on four continents over the past 60 years, studying iconic animals including lions, pandas, gorillas, and tigers. He has written 16 books about his work and won numerous awards, including a National Book Award. After more than 30 years of expeditions to the remote, vast northern highlands of China’s Tibetan Plateau known as the Chang Tang, his latest book, Tibet Wild: A Naturalist’s Journeys on the Roof of the World, recounts his adventures over the past 15 years.

In Tibet Wild, Schaller introduces readers to the animals he has studied on his journeys, particularly the chiru (Tibetan antelope), as well as the wild yak, the snow leopard, the Marco Polo sheep, and the rabbit-like pika. He brings the keen eye of a seasoned scientist to his study of these diverse and little-known animals, as well as the warmth and passion of a committed conservationist. Schaller sheds light on how science really works in the field. From counting animals to collecting samples for lab analysis, he paints a vivid picture of his and his team’s daily tasks. These are complemented by tales from his adventures in one of the harshest and most remote landscapes on the planet.

Schaller’s work has practical, on-the-ground implications as well, most notably his championing of nature reserves. He also helped uncover the chiru slaughter behind the 1990s’ fad for shahtoosh scarves, which manufacturers claimed did not hurt antelope, and has been a key figure in the debate over how to balance conservation with the economics of trophy hunting. In Tibet Wild, Schaller gives his reader a behind-the-scenes look at both of these conflicts.

The Tibetan Plateau may seem remote, but that doesn’t make it safe from the effects of climate change, hunting, or overgrazing, and as its communities strive to become more prosperous, human activities exact an ever greater toll on the environment. But there is still time to manage the Chang Tang and other wild areas of the Tibetan Plateau of China so that their unique human and wildlife communities will live on for generations. Schaller is leading this charge, and Tibet Wild is a powerful call to action.

George Schaller has spent more than half a century studying wildlife in over twenty countries, and helped protect some of the planet’s most endangered and iconic animals.  These range from the mountain gorillas in the present Democratic Republic of the Congo to tigers in India, lions in Tanzania, jaguars in Brazil, giant pandas in China, and snow leopards and various wild sheep and goats in the Himalaya. These animals have been the basis for his scientific and popular writings, including 16 books, among them The Year of the Gorilla, The Serengeti Lion, The Last Panda, and A Naturalist and Other Beasts. Over the years he has received a number of international conservation awards, among them the Indianapolis Prize, Japan’s Cosmos Prize, China’s Baogang Environmental Prize, and India’s Salim Ali Conservation Award.