Tracking Gobi Grizzlies: Surviving Beyond the Back of Beyond

by Douglas Chadwick, Joe Riis (Photographer)

In the tradition of Douglas Chadwick's best-selling adventure memoir, The Wolverine Way, Tracking Gobi Grizzlies creates a portrait of these rarest of bears' fight for survival in one of the toughest, most remote settings on Earth. He demonstrates why saving this endangered animal supports an entire ecosystem made up of hundreds of interconnected plants and animals, from desert roses to Asiatic lynx and wild double-humped camels, all adapting as best they can to the effects of climate change. A parable of environmental stewardship in a legendary realm.

Genres: Environment

288 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 19, 2016

Reviews

[L.G. Cullens · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written, very informative book, with complementing images and maps, all in all giving one a good taste of the Gobi and Mongolia. If you liked the author's book The Wolverine Way, you should like this one as well. It gets to the gist of our blinkered human proclivities more directly.

[Matthew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fascinating account of extremely rare bears and the incredibly harsh environment where they live. Doug Chadwick recounts multiple expeditions to the Giving desert in Mongolia to monitor and study the bears and this book sheds light on their situation and the urgent need to protect them.

[Kynzie Rose · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loved the photos throughout the book and the side stories. It gave a whole lot more personality to the book. The middle of the book was hard to get through, and I found the beginning hard to follow. It’s filled with facts and stories about culture, history and biology and the end chapters are inspiring for explorers and those interested in conservation.

[Mikey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, once again Mr. Chadwick does not disappoint. With what I've come to know as his characteristic humor and easy reading style, I've now become what I call somewhat distantly intimate with a creature I'd heretofore not even known existed, the Gobi Grizzly.
While still reporting science and facts about his subject matter and all the areas and other lives affected by their presence, or potential LACK thereof, his writing remains entertaining & engaging. Per usual this book not only spotlights the animals themselves, but the people working to protect them, raise awareness, but to also help the nearby human population who must live with his subject species. He never fails to connect to human element to the creatures of the wild, for we are in truth all Animals.
Every time I read one of Doug's pieces, I want to run out and join the movement, whether in the frigid heights of Glacier NP, or the "barren" reaches of the Gobi.... both statements he'll be quick to convince you doesn't hardly begin to describe either place sufficiently or accurately.

Pick it up, check it out, or borrow it from a friend, and take a trip to a place I'm willing to bet, you don't even really know exists- The Land of The Gobi Grizzly 😉

[Terri ducay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book if you are looking to learn more about Mongolia, bears, science, and protecting endangered animals and the environment. Douglas Chadwick, the author, writes in a way that makes you feel you are right there at base camp with his fellow research scientists, as well as making you feel you are standing with him in the bruttle Gobi Desert where winds can literally blow you over.
However the most amazing part of reading this book is to understand who the Gobi Grizzly is. How does an animal survive desert emperatures that soar to 122 degrees Fahrenheit in summer and drop to as low as minus 40 in winter, where there are few trees, rocks or other shelter to protect oneself from the elements. I came away, once again in awe of nature. Thank you Mr. Chadwick for opening my eyes to nature and Patagonia Press for informing more of us to the world and it's beauty.

[Sunny · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Keeping mazaalai indefinitely confined to a single reserve and dependent on direct human intervention isn't very desirable goal. Leeting this long-lived line of Ursus arctos recover enough of its range and numbers to have more of a say about its own destiny is."

"Walking aimlessly around the streets of Ulaanbaatar after the meeting, I thought about how many more elements of unnatural history go into equations for conserving wild lives in the twenty-first century. I wondered how biologists were supposed to keep factoring in biosphere-changing forces like unchecked population growth and global warming......"

[Corey Grassmyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Masterclass book about conservation and how to tell a story. Peak adventure/hiking trip book which is one of if not my favorite genre of books. Little bit of a bland ending but I truly enjoyed it all and loved learning more about conservation of animals as well as the gobi desert. Would recommend to just about anyone. Read on the hardback and the photography was excellent and really pushed the book into the 10/10 range.

[David Rudin · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story of the only population of brown/grizzly bears currently surviving in a desert. Who knew? This is the point of the book, to tell the story of these 40 or so survivors and the efforts to save them.

The book is also about exploration, adventure and living for extended periods of time in one of the wildest, remotest places on the planet. I was happy I got to go along for the ride!

[Nathan Stone · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book that is primarily focused on the author's several field seasons in the Gobi desert trapping bears. Some insights into Gobi bears and some good descriptions of the ecology of the area in general. Greater depth into the bear's natural history and ecology would have been nice, but it doesn't seem like there is much background research to rely on.

[Don Kent · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a fine book by a talented and thoughtful author. His comments on environmental motives and actions as they relate to the world-wide environmental actions regarding species preservation are in themselves worth the read.

[Diana L. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating story of conservation

I came to this book through the Armchair Explorer podcast. The book is well told, with bits of history and culture alongside the natural beauty and wildlife. I really enjoyed the book, and learned, too. Definitely recommend.

[Mike P · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed learning a lot about Gobi grizzlies but there wasn't a whole lot of flow or substance to a lot of the book.

[Jack Kelleher]

Didn’t love it— wasn’t super narrative and just felt kinda flat

[VincentMeade · Rating 5 out of 5]

good bear story, environment conservationism