Ways Of The Wild

Thousands of brave men and women tirelessly guard India’s forests to curb wildlife poaching and conserve the habitat. In My Encounter with the Big Cat and Other Adventures in Ranthambhore, retired forest officer Daulat Singh Shaktawat takes the reader deep into the jungles of Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, as he revisits his trysts—including a near-death experience—with its tigers.

- Beverly Pereira

IN ALL THE 37 YEARS THAT Daulat Singh Shaktawat served in the wildlife wing of the Forest Department of Rajasthan, specifically at Keoladeo National Park, Sariska Tiger Rerserve and Ranthambhore Tiger Reserve, no two days were ever alike. A day in the life of a forest officer is unpredictable and tiresome, testing even. On some days there may be a wild animal that needs medical attention; on others, tracking and monitoring a bellicose animal might go on well into the night. The book’s pulse-racing stories highlight the diverse nature of the dangerous yet satisfying job of manning a forest, without ever coming across as overly intentional.