An interesting couple of paragraphs about Southeast Russia
From The Tiger, by John Vaillant
The true story is based on the search for a man-eating Amur tiger.
The author describes this tiger version as having the qualities of an average housecat, but built like an industrial refrigerator.
The setting is the forest along the Chinese border, and is only 660 flying miles from Tokyo, but it seems like another planet. A weird confusion of different species of animals, plants, fish and insects (there is a river fish that reaches 18 feet in length) all come together.
The discussion that follows is part of a larger one about poaching and how the laws have conspired to make any hunting available only to the rich and connected "oligarchs."
Excellent book.
The true story is based on the search for a man-eating Amur tiger.
The author describes this tiger version as having the qualities of an average housecat, but built like an industrial refrigerator.
The setting is the forest along the Chinese border, and is only 660 flying miles from Tokyo, but it seems like another planet. A weird confusion of different species of animals, plants, fish and insects (there is a river fish that reaches 18 feet in length) all come together.
The discussion that follows is part of a larger one about poaching and how the laws have conspired to make any hunting available only to the rich and connected "oligarchs."
Trush is a practicing Christian in a largely secular society and, in this sense, patience, compassion, and forgiveness could be seen as revolutionary acts against a system that has, for generations, demonstrated a minimum of these qualities. While Trush will make allowances for youth, inexperience, and desperation, there are some things he will not forgive. Along with young, careless policemen, Trush must also deal with the old and cynical ones. In Primorye, as in many parts of Russia, policemen have poor reputations and are generally perceived as corrupt and dangerous bullies. Well armed, with the freedom and the means to go where they please, police are implicated in many poaching incidents. They can be extremely dangerous when caught in compromising positions, especially in remote areas. Nonetheless, one winter day, when a group of four police officers refused to get out of their car after he’d stopped them on a back road, Trush pulled out a canister of Mace and sprayed it into the car’s air intake. The heater was on so the Mace quickly filled the passenger compartment. Recalling the incident, Trush smiles broadly and spreads his arms like wings, exclaiming, “And the doors flew open!” It is because of situations like this that the Tigers never work alone.
Excellent book.