In 1987, zoologist Alan Rabinowitz was invited by the Thai government to study leopards, tigers, and other wildlife in the Huai Kha Khaeng valley, one of Southeast Asia's largest and most prized forests. It was hoped his research would help protect the many species that live in that fragile reserve, which was being slowly depleted by poachers, drug traffickers, and even the native tribes of the area. Chasing the Dragon's Tail is the remarkable story of Rabinowitz's life and adventures in the forest as well as the streets of Bangkok, as he works to protect Thailand's threatened wildlife.Based on Rabinowitz's field journals, the book offers an intimate and moving look at a modern zoologist's life in the field. As he fights floods, fire-ant infestations, elephant stampedes, and a request to marry the daughter of a tribal chief, the difficulties that come with the demanding job of species conservation are dramatically brought to life. First published in 1991, this edition of Chasing the Dragon's Tail includes a new afterword by the author that brings the story up to date, describing the surprising strides Thailand has made recently in conservation.Other titles by Alan Rabinowitz include Beyond the Last Village and Jaguar.
Title Page
Copyright
Contents
Prologue - Taipei, March 1987
1. Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand, March 1986
2. Dancing Woman Mountain
3. Into the Cauldron
4. Forest Cattle
5. Leopard Capture
6. Buddhist Monks
7. Spirits and Ghosts
8. Chasing the Dragon's Tail
9. Auntie's Coffee Shop
10. Wildlife Abuse
11. Tiger Tracking
12. Leopards and Leopard Cats
13. Poachers
14. Animals in Cages
15. Civet Society
16. City of Illusion
17. Floods
18. Wild Elephants
19. Huai Kha Khaeng, February 1989
20. The Place of Knowing
Epilogue
Afterword
Bibliography
Acknowledgments
Index
About the Author
Reviews
"...one of the best recent books on Thailand. Although essentially the record of a zoologist conserving wild cats in the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary, the book also offers a penetrating account of author Alan Rabinowitz's struggle to come to terms with Thailand and the Thai people."
