How's this for a "moral-of-the-story" ... Never make a Russian tiger angry. He'll track you down and kill you, no, he'll annihilate you until all that's left of you could fit in a little bag.At least that's what happened to a Russian poacher as outlined in John Vaillant's true account: The Tiger: A True Story of Vengeance and Survival.
There is not a clear consensus of why a Russian man named Vladimir Markov was stalked by the tiger. Some say Markov had stolen part of the tiger's kill, some say Markov had been illegally killing tiger cubs, while others claimed there was no motive. Whatever the reason, in 1997 a male tiger in his prime systematically tracked down Markov's cabin, waited for him to come home, ambushed him, and shredded him to pieces.
Before he was killed, Markov got off one good shot, not enough to kill the tiger, but injuring him enough to disrupt his ability to hunt. Deprived of his natural hunting ability, the tiger went on the prowl for easier prey -- humans living in isolated cabins in the Russian wilderness.
In this book, Vaillant investigates this tiger attack and subsequent incidents, how these affected the people nearby, and the government team which investigated the attack. Markov's killing itself makes up a relatively small portion of the book, so if you're looking for a thriller, you might be disappointed.
Instead, much of the book looks at the context of the attack -- what life is like in this part of Russia, the poaching of tigers, and what we know about tigers. It's a very interesting read -- and guaranteed to make your hair stand on end.
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