Life in the Valley of Death: The Fight to Save Tigers in a Land of Guns, Gold, and Greed

by Alan Rabinowitz

Dubbed the Indiana Jones of wildlife science by The New York Times, Alan Rabinowitz has devoted—and risked—his life to protect nature’s great endangered mammals. He has journeyed to the remote corners of the earth in search of wild things, weathering treacherous terrain, plane crashes, and hostile governments. Life in the Valley of Death recounts his most ambitious and dangerous adventure yet: the creation of the world's largest tiger preserve.

The tale is set in the lush Hukaung Valley of Myanmar, formerly known as Burma. An escape route for refugees fleeing the Japanese army during World War II, this rugged stretch of land claimed the lives of thousands of children, women, and soldiers. Today it is home to one of the largest tiger populations outside of India—a population threatened by rampant poaching and the recent encroachment of gold prospectors.

To save the remaining tigers, Rabinowitz must navigate not only an unforgiving landscape, but the tangled web of politics in Myanmar. Faced with a military dictatorship, an insurgent army, tribes once infamous for taking the heads of their enemies, and villagers living on less than one U.S. dollar per day, the scientist and adventurer most comfortable with animals is thrust into a diplomatic minefield. As he works to balance the interests of disparate factions and endangered wildlife, his own life is threatened by an incurable disease.

The resulting story is one of destruction and loss, but also renewal. In forests reviled as the valley of death, Rabinowitz finds new life for himself, for communities haunted by poverty and violence, and for the tigers he vowed to protect.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals, Nature, Wildlife, Asia, Conservation, Biography

212 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 2007

About the author

Alan Robert Rabinowitz was an American zoologist, conservationist, field biologist and the CEO of Panthera, a nonprofit conservation organization devoted to protecting the world's 37 wild cat species. Called the "Indiana Jones of Wildlife Protection" by Time, Rabinowitz has studied jaguars, clouded leopards, Asiatic leopards, tigers, Sumatran rhinos, bears, leopard cats, raccoons, and civets. Today, Rabinowitz’s work focused on conserving the world’s largest, most imperiled cats—tigers, lions, jaguars, and snow leopards—and their habitats.

Reviews

[Saul Chan Htoo Sang · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a person who is Myanmar, Life in the Valley of Death speaks to me in numerous layers. In addition to my nationality, I was fortunate enough to read it while I was in Kachin state, 80 miles away from the Hukawng Valley – where the Tiger Reserve is. However, to analyze the book, the different components of it will need to be broken down. And when it is dissected into components, two distant elements of this book rise up as the most intriguing: one is the discussion on how the military government functions, and the other is the author's audacity to be mildly overconfident (which can be argued as egotistical).

To explore the first part, it is straightforward. Because under the international media during the 1960s until recently, the military dictatorship in Myanmar is the major thing that has been highlighted.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Google Alan Rabinowitz. Fire up your Firefox and type in his name. You’ll be impressed—I don’t care who you are. Item: a twenty-six year old Alan Rabinowitz kneeling over an unconscious jaguar. He is in Belize, establishing the first jaguar preserve in the world. Item: a forty-three year old Alan Rabinowitz sitting around a campfire with two of the twelve Taron pygmies still alive in 1997. Item: Alan Rabinowitz at fifty-one peering directly into the National Geographic photographer’s camera—grizzled, stone-faced, flinty-eyed, a gleaming machete in his hand. He is in Myanmar, and has established the largest tiger preserve in the world.

Impressed yet? Of course you are, unless you’re some strange mixture of Allan Quartermain and St. Francis and Jane Goodall. In which case, you should write a book. That book might be something like Life in the Valley of Death. This is the story of the establishment of the Hukawng Valley Tiger Preserve (the aforementioned largest tiger preserve in the world), and of coming to terms with being diagnosed with incurable leukemia. It is a remarkable story, and it is told in a voice that is at once unassuming and erudite, pointed and compassionate.

I’m not saying that the book is perfect. The prose is generally well-crafted but spare, almost dry. There are a few sentences that are out-and-out clumsy. For example: “I wander from group to group, staying in the shadows, understanding nothing of what is being said, but watching in amazement at the dynamics taking place.” Luckily, sentences like this are few and far in between.

Bad dialogue is a more serious problem. The point of having dialogue in a memoir is to give the reader the impression that they are present at a particular moment of time—that the events being described are taking place before their eyes. The more vivid the dialogue, the more vivid the effect. The dialogue in Life in the Valley of Death, unfortunately, often sounds a bit artificial. Near the end of the book, for example, Dr. Rabinowitz is attending a meeting between representatives of, variously, the U.N. Development Programme, the government of Myanmar, Kachin Independence Organization leaders, local NGOs, local communities, and Naga insurgents. This is in many ways the climax of the book, and probably the most pivotal moment in the establishment of the tiger preserve. Nothing takes you out of the moment quite like a conversation that goes like this:

“It’s over,” Than Myint says, clearly relieved when the meeting draws to a close. “It went really well,” I respond. “ We have some real consensus for moving forward.”

Come on. Who really talks like that?

But for every run-on sentence and unfortunately flat exchange, there are dozens of keenly observed, evocative details and movingly honest moments. Newly diagnosed with leukemia, Dr. Rabinowitz visits the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center to meet with a specialist: “I park five blocks away […:] I linger at a Dunkin Donuts sipping coffee, not wanting to go closer, not wanting people to think that I am one of ‘them,’ another damaged, broken person not as good as everyone else.” An admission like that takes extraordinary courage. Later on, the family dog also develops leukemia, and eventually has to be euthanized. The spareness of the prose works well here—the parallel between the author and the animal is clear but not overstated or manipulative, and the result is quietly devastating.

This sort of resonance runs throughout the book, moving from the personal to the global, and indeed is its main theme. Early in the book, Dr. Rabinowitz stalks a tiger, only to realize that the tiger has circled around and is now stalking him. Later, he relates the Naga belief in were-tigers: that there is an essential affinity between some tigers and men, so that if the tiger is killed or wounded, the man dies as well. The tiger preserve he establishes encompasses human habitations as well as wilderness. In order to make it work, he has to organize the shipment of medicine and school supplies to impoverished local communities. In effect, he has to conserve local communities as well as tigers. This is a model that, he told me over the phone, he believes should absolutely serve as the future paradigm for global conservation. The tiger is an apex predator, and in order to save them, we need to preserve whole large wild systems. And that cannot be done, Dr. Rabinowitz says, without human dominated landscapes that also work as multi purpose conservation areas.

The author grew up a severe stutterer. “As a child,” he tells me, “I felt like I couldn’t talk to people, only to animals. So I’d come home from school and talk to my little New York animals. A turtle, a garter snake. I could see that they had thoughts and feelings—they just couldn’t talk. Just like me. So I wanted to be a voice for animals.” In Life in the Valley of Death he speaks for animals—and himself—passionately, and extraordinarily well.

[Amanda · Rating 5 out of 5]

I been wanting to read this book every since I watched Dr. Rabinowitz on The Colbert Report. His story he told Stephen about being put in "special needs" classes and not being able to talk around people because of his stutter. Brought back memories for me. When I was a kid in school. I also, was put in "special needs" classes. My fourth grade teacher, seen that I was having a hard time keeping up with the other students in her class. She was able to, help me by putting me in these classes. I really think, thanks to this wonderful woman, if she hadn't cared enough for me, I would had eventually dropped out of school. I also, was and still am, a severely shy person. It takes a lot for me to talk to people. But like Dr.Rabinowitz, I've always been able to in some way, talk and understand animals. I've always had an animal in my life and they have always been my friends.

This is a great book. Dr. Rabinowitz passion for these cats is amazing. His personal story in the book is so heart breaking. And thanks to his wonderful wife and friends. He is able to continue on with this great unimaginable dream that at first, wasn't something Dr. Rabinowitz thinks can happen. But with his passion and strength, he fights for this dream to become a reality.

I am looking forward to reading more of Dr. Rabinowitz' books in the near future.

[Lisasue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Gosh, everyone loves this book, but I'm simply not one of them. Of course, Mr. Rabinowitz is clearly someone that has accomplished amazing things against incredible odds. I mean, who doesn't want to save tigers from senseless destruction?

But the thing about it is, the author came across as a self-important, pompous, egotistical, self-aggrandizing jerk for most of the book. Maybe that's what it takes to achieve what he has, but I don't want to expose myself to this type of personality if I can help it. I should have given up on the book instead of struggling through to the end.

As a final note, I think that I threw up in my mouth a little bit when the author describes his late mother as a "simple housewife." That's all you have to say? Really?

[Kenya Starflight · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've been an animal lover all my life, and I've long hated how humanity has driven so many species to extinction and near-extinction over the years. But I also recognize that the fight to save these incredible creatures is much harder than it looks, and often involves a delicate game of politics, research, and cooperation between parties that almost never actually want to cooperate. This is perfectly exemplified by Alan Rabinowitz's account of his mission to save the tigers of Myanmar, and how he balances his struggle to save these magnificent creatures with a far more personal struggle.

Myanmar is a country of political turmoil and a troubled history... and home to its own tiger population. Naturalist Alan Rabinowitz has committed himself to saving these creatures, and works hard with local government officials to discover how many tigers are left in the country and how best to save them. But Myanmar is facing tremendous upheaval, with the government shaky at best and facing vicious coups at worst, and the discovery of gold in the country results in a rush to strip the landscape bare of this precious metal at the expense of the tigers and other animals that live there. And as Alan strives to establish a protected area for the tigers, he also faces a cancer diagnosis that forces him to come to terms with his own health and mortality.

The writing in this book is serviceable, if a bit dry and repetitive in places. Alan goes into great depth regarding the often-overlooked country of Myanmar and its troubled history, and manages to tie his own past and personal life into the story without making this book entirely self-indulgent. There are a few places where it feels like he uses the wrong word to get his point across, and some odd typos here and there, but perhaps a later edition can correct these goofs.

Alan manages to give us a compelling account of the tigers of Myanmar and the efforts to save them without vilifying the humans who are trying to survive alongside these creatures. Too often in a conservation-minded book like this humans are vilified as being greedy or sheer evil, but Alan makes it clear that most of the people who are exploiting the tiger's habitat are just trying to survive as well, and that decisions need to be made that will benefit both parties instead of just serving one over the other. He shows that there are never easy, clear-cut answers when it comes to conservation efforts, and that these issues are more complex than people want to believe.

This book is rather bittersweet to read, especially the sections dealing with Rabinowitz's cancer -- he passed away in 2018 from the very cancer he's diagnosed with in this book. But it's a fascinating look at a country and its big cats, and the struggle to save them.

[Will · Rating 2 out of 5]

This is a hell of a way to brand/market a book that is 2/3rds about navigating Burmese bureaucracy, and 1/3rd a memoir of some really rotten stuff that happens to the author. I get that there's a point to be made that conversation is really about conversations happening in closed rooms between powerful people, but...it's just no tigers in this book about tigers, man.

The writing is mostly fine - I agree with the reviewers who have noted the bizarre way that Rabinowitz handles dialogue that seems at best "simplified" from real conversations - and there are genuinely touching moments. But overall, this book feels uncommitted to any of the potential things it could be. I came away understanding a bit better the complicated politics of pushing forward conservation, and hearing the author's rebuttal to those who say that working with repressive regimes on conservation enables and legitimizes them. I learned about how some hard personal stuff he worked through. I occasionally got a glimpse of field work in Myanmar, and some mostly sympathetic portrayals of different indigenous people. But the book veers in like five directions, never commits to one, and feels less whole for having done so.

[Jove · Rating 3 out of 5]

A quick reading adventure novel about a big cat conservationist's effort to establish the world's largest tiger reserve. It has as much to do with the changing Burmese political landscape and off the beaten track adventuring as it does with conservation. I get the sense that the author's underlying medical problems kept him from finalizing his work in the reserve, and the book seemed to taper off inconclusively. None the less, an exciting quick read that makes me want to travel back in time to visit SE Asia during a time when the presence of man was less of an influence.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the story of how author and wildlife scientist Alan Rabinowitz worked with the government and peoples of Myanmar to establish the world's largest tiger reserve. He details the inner workings of the various government agencies, the various insurgent groups in the country, and his own family as he worked to set up the reserve.

This was an interesting read, and an up-close-and-personal look at what being a wildlife advocate in a foreign country actually involves. I also learned quite a bit about conservation efforts in poor areas--especially how they must work with the people there to find solutions that benefit them and the wildlife in the area.

[Pam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very informative.

I liked Mr Alan perseverance. His oh of tigers and wildlife is inspiring. If you like animals & people you will like this book. Well documented.

[Ardiantiono · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading this book feels like diving deep into a fictional story except it's not

[Nick Asreen · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading Jaguar and learning more about Alan, I became a huge fan. Highly recommend all of his books.

[Don Gerstein · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alan Rabinowitz has successfully helped to establish wildlife preserves in foreign countries, and when asked to expand the wildlife sanctuary in Myanmar, he readily agrees. Nothing could have prepared him for the changes that were to take place in that country over the next year, and how those changes would affect the vision he had for saving the tigers from extinction in that area of the world. This book details that struggle, describing his efforts to convince the Myanmar government as well as the people living in the Hukawng Valley to agree to work together to create the Hukawng Valley Tiger Reserve.

Mr. Rabinowitz has his own style of writing: while he doesn’t present his story in original, colorful images, his paragraphs are very rich in detail and provide the reader with a thorough picture. His descriptions are usually straight to the point. Sometimes they are delivered with a bit of humor: “…since several of our elephant handlers, called mahouts, are addicted to opium, an early morning start is not part of their repertoire.” Other times, you can easily see what is in his heart. For instance, he states that the life expectancy of an elephant is “…shortened considerably when ‘white gold’ protrudes from your head.”

This is an excellent book, revealing one man’s passion for effecting positive change and the difficulties he encountered during his multi-year mission.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book for its storytelling, history telling and openness about working in difficult situations. I also appreciate it for what I learn about humanity. It is interesting to me that I hear many people wanting to abandon Myanmar because of its ongoing history of human rights abuses. Yet, in choosing to stay out and un-involved, we live into one of my favorite quotes from this book: "....If we are not successful, the extinction of the tiger will be a gross admission of failure, an admission that humankind has little desire to live with or tolerate nature's other advanced life forms that require understanding and compromise from us." I would take the idea further and say, if we stay away from places of gross injustice and failed Human Rights concerns, then that is an admission that humankind has little desire to live with itself. We all have two sides and we all need a lot of work and redemption. I am inspired by Rabinowitz to continue to examine my role in this world, and to remain committed to peace and justice against all odds. Thank you, Rabinowitz, for your role in saving not just the tiger and other big cats, but all of us.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another excellent book by the same author as "Jaguar", but this is a later book, after his intial work in the central Americas was completed. While immersed in a story about conservation of the world's largest cat, and the struggles to establish territory for them while defending these areas against illegal hunting and habitat destruction, the author encounters a personal health trainwreck that threatens to remove him from Asia and his fieldwork there. An excellent nonfiction book that teaches you about the lives of these amazing animals, and struggles of conservation in a third world country, but also a story of dream, struggle, and eventual victory over incredible personal challenges as well. This guy has my vote for the best nonfiction conservation books I've ever read, and inspires me to want to help save these animals.

[Pat · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about the fight to save a valley in Myanmar (Burma) as a sanctuary for tigers that was ultimately at least partially successful though it took a great deal of effort to get there. It was interesting that as I started the book, I found myself thinking of whether the work that the author did in Myanmar should have been done. Myanmar is such an ugly country, but then it seemed to me that the tigers should not have been held hostage to a miserable dictatorship. And it also takes some thinking as we go further along as to whether our Western diplomats should be dealing with such governments in the way that we do. Perahps other approaches may also be possible.

[Reilly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rabinowitz makes the idea of the impossible seem possible. This is an amazing can-do story. I can't help but be excited about conservation after reading this passionate account of the magnanimous conservation effort to not only save the tiger from extinction (the original purpose), but also to save the other species in a relatively pristine ecological system. Conservation is not just about the animals. It is about the people, too. I am all for sustainability and the method of conservation Rabinowitz proposes (and actually executes) is really novel.

This book is not edge-of-your-seat reading, but it is interesting and motivating.

[SomeForTheRoad.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

My impression of the WCS (Wildlife Conservation Society) has simply been the people who run the Bronx and Central Park Zoo and the NY Aquarium--all places we go on a monthly basis, if not more often.

The book opened my eyes to the more far-reaching conservation efforts of the organization and particularly its founder. Particularly impressive is his ability to be simultaneously detached and emotional.

Loved this book!

[Mary Baker · Rating 1 out of 5]

I can't find a way to contact the author, so hopefully a bad review will get his attention. I recently purchased this book on Amazon and it is so messed up! It starts on location 24, turn page and you are at location 37, turn page and you are at location 49, turn page and you are at location 64, 73, 88, 92,etc. I have re-downloaded it to my Kindle for Win 8, but it made no difference. I was really looking forward to reading this book! help! Thanks, Mary Baker

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an interesting story, and so well told! I liked the way the author wove in his personal story with that of the valley and the tigers. And the pictures were gorgeous - way better than those that typically accompany such books. I did find myself getting a tad confused with all the Burmese names, but other than that, I really liked this book.

[Nikki · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book written about the accounts of Rabinowtiz's goal of protecting tigers in Myanmar. I walked away from this book with extreme respect for Rabinowitz and grateful to him for trying to protect the world's majestic cats. Too few people care as deeply for non-human animals as Alan Rabinowitz does day in and day out. Thank you for all you do Alan.

[Andy Kramer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not exactly what I expected; parts of the book seemed written to clear up misunderstandings with specific people or political disagreements, and the book in general was often more biographical than focused on the Hukawng Valley. That being said, the author's accomplishment is sufficient that I can easily overlook a few annoyances in favor of the grander picture.

[Alison Zak · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very similar to Beyond the Last Village, which I actually enjoyed more because he interacted with more of the local people. Less about tigers, and more about the process of establishing a protected area. Overall, a good read. I am inspired by Rabinowitz's passion and dedication to wildlife conservation.

[Wendy Tegtman · Rating 4 out of 5]

What an impressive person to devote most of his life to wildlife conservation in areas that are remote and with governments that are not as understanding of the importance of this need for our wild animals all while dealing with a serious illness. I definitely respect people who have a passion for this type of work.

[Jan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I admire the author and his work. I was very interested in this book at first, and in the description of Burma, the people,, and the pkight of the tigers. By the time I was halfway through, I had had enough of the descriptions od dealing with beaurocracy, so skipped to the last chapter.

[Victor H Fisher Jr · Rating 2 out of 5]

A conservationists fight for the protection of the Burmese Tigers.

The Story of the struggles of a small group who fought to save and protect the dwindling number of Tigers of Burma.

[Liz Wood · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good read

Although I have never coordinated nor managed a project such as the valley, trying to coordinate with all the entities, governmental, communities, etc. I really enjoyed learning of the difficulties and of the ultimate success working to save the tiger.

[Annie · Rating 5 out of 5]

this author made Stephen Colbert cry so I had to read it; he's very honest about what he takes personally from the conservation projects and explores the complex politics of his role in great detail

[Elhaynes]

Jay Tucker

[Kayleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Truly inspiring.

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love all of Dr. Rabinowitz's books. They are very descriptive and very entertaining.