Soul of the Rhino: A Nepali Adventure with Kings and Elephant Drivers, Billionaires and Bureaucrats, Shamans and Scientists, and the Indi

By Hemanta Mishra

Book Overview

A spirited yet humble account of one man's scientific career

and personal journey to save the endangered rhinoceros in his native Nepal

In early 2006, National Public Radio reported that "A promising conservation effort to save one of Nepal's signature endangered species is now in serious trouble, due primarily to poachers taking advantage of fighting between government forces and Maoist insurgents." This was devastating news indeed to author and scientist Hemanta Mishra, who has spent the better part of his adult life struggling to save the Indian Rhino from extinction in his native Nepal. The Soul of the Rhino is the spirited yet humble account of Mishra's unique personal journey. Fresh out of university in the 1970s, Mishra embarks on his conservation work with the help of an ornery but steadfast elephant driver, the Nepalese royal family, and handfuls of like-minded scientists whose aim is to protect the animal in the foothills of the Himalayas. Yet, in spite of decades spent creating nature reserves and moving rhinos to protected areas, arm-wrestling politicians, and raising awareness for the cause, Mishra is still fearful about the future of the Indian Rhino. To this day, Nepal is overrun by armed insurgents, political violence, and poachers who could kill off this magnificent creature for good. Filled with candor and bittersweet humor, Mishra re-creates his journey on behalf of the rhino, an ugly yet enchanting, terrifying yet delicate creature. The first book of its kind to delve into the multi-layered political labyrinths of South Asian wildlife conservation, and one man's endurance in the face of it all, The Soul of the Rhino is sure to win over your heart and soul.

"A mix of Western science and Eastern mythology, this book] could be called 'Zen and the Art of Rhinoceros Maintenance'."

--New York Post

" Mishra's] a gutsy, committed man and a charming writer--and the rhinos could have no faster friend."--National Geographic Adventure

"Unusual, fascinating, and important. The Soul of the Rhino . . . provides not only a rare insight into the personality and behavior of the highly endangered and little-known Asian rhino, but an equally absorbing picture of the people who share its habitat."

--Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE; founder, the Jane Goodall Institute; UN Messenger of Peace

" Mishra] describes his contacts with everyone from poacher and foreigner to bureaucrat, royalty and rhino. I enjoyed The Soul of the Rhino immensely."
--George B. Schaller, Wildlife Conservation Society

"This is the first book of its kind that proves that nature conservation in Asia does not only depend upon good Western science. But, like politics in America, it is an art."
--Lodi Gyari, Special Envoy of His Holiness the Dalai Lama

"For anyone interested in wildlife, the Himalayan region, Hindu and Buddhist culture, this book is a delight."

--Kenneth Nebenzahl, director of the American Himalayan Foundation, member of the WWF-US Council

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1599218003
• ISBN13: 9781599218007
• Release Date: September 2009
• Publisher: Lyons Press
• Length: 232 Pages
• Weight: 0.75 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.5" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

Asian Wildlife Conservation and Storytelling Succeed

I am a zoo professional working on conservation issues in Asia and have long heard about this author and his work, but had not read the book yet. It exceeded my expectations and was a very enjoyable read as well as informative and enlightening. I would encourage anyone in the field of wildlife conservation to pick this up. The author and Nepal's successes in Chitwan are models for other regions.

Torn

Americans have a hard enough time understanding one eastern religion, never mind two entertwined into one, like the combination of Buddhism and Hiduism followed in Nepal. A large part of understanding what happens in this book is wrapping one's head around a very different culture from our own. The author has spent a life in attempting to save rhinos and their habitats in his native country. He gained a western education, and, as such, was deeply conflicted when ordered by his king to take part in an ancient tradition - helping the king to kill a rhino. His story leads to an unexpected result, the discovery of his own soul inside one of the majestic beasts. The book ends with Nepal in turmoil, and the future of the one-horned rhino in sincere doubt. It's the kind of ending that sends the reader straight to the internet for the latest political news, to find out whether or not the situation has been resolved.

The subtitle is not hype; this book mesmerizes

I was skeptical about the title of this book, but enchanted with the picture on the cover. In my hands, there was absolutely no marketing hype. This book will capture your heart with Hemanta Mishra's clarity, humanity and commitment. Mishra has worked in Asia on a number of conservation projects for over 30 years. This book tells the story of efforts to save the greater one-horned Asian rhino from extinction. He calls it "a mystical beast legendary for its power, its sexual energy, its unpredictable temperament, and its prodigious strength." He describes the political violence in Nepal beginning with the massacre of the king's family in 2001 by the eldest son and ending with the Maoist insurgency. Kings play a key role in the conservation efforts. The murder of the recent king led to its now uncertain future. In the Tarpan ceremony a Nepalese king must hunt and kill a male rhino and offer the beast's blood in a prayer for peace and prosperity. Mishra's book puts humanity into the Smithsonian's summary of the status of these rhinos: "Greater one-horned Asian rhinoceroses once ranged from Pakistan across northern India to Nepal, Bhutan, and the border with Myanmar (Burma), and perhaps ranged even further, into southern China. Today, they are confined to a few small, protected populations totaling about 2,000 animals. Most live in several parks in India and in Nepal's Royal Chitwan National Park." Hemanta Mishra worked in the Nepalese wildlife office in the early 1970s and ran the King Mahendra Trust for Nature Conservation. He was awarded the J. Paul Getty Prize for Natural Protection in 1987 for "for his ground breaking biotic studies on Mt. Everest, his development of Nepal's park systems, and his work on implementation of "Operation Tiger," the largest conservation project in Asia." I agree completely with "Scientific American": "Mishra, a Nepalese wildlife biologist trained in the West, is not a professional writer, but his intelligence and wit make this a mesmerizing account that intertwines politics, conservation and tensions between the traditions of East and West." You can hear Mishra discuss his book and his conservation efforts on Leonard Lopat Show on the WNYC website. You'll hear his voice for a long time after you read his book. Robert C. Ross 2007 2008