Mountain Monarchs: Wild Sheep and Goats of the Himalaya

by George B. Schaller

Schaller draws on his considerable knowledge of the Himalayan ungulates but does not stop there. The book is no less than a comparative treatment of all the caprinids. The major chapters cover taxonomy, distribution, physical attributes, population dynamics, maintenance activities, herd dynamics, courtship behavior, mother-young relationships and the relationship of social behavior to ecology in the Caprinae. Schaller's own careful observations and insights are dovetailed neatly into the literature.. Graeme Caughle, Quarterly Review of Biology. Mountain Monarchs will undoubtedly stand as the foremost source of information on these Asiatic ungulates for many years. The author is to be commended for putting together in one volume the results of years of fieldwork under incredibly difficult conditions plus an exhaustive review of the relevant literature.

444 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1977

About the author

George Beals Schaller (born 1933) is an American mammalogist, biologist, conservationist and author. Schaller is recognized by many as the world's preeminent field biologist, studying wildlife throughout Africa, Asia and South America. Born in Berlin, Schaller grew up in Germany, but moved to Missouri as a teen. He is vice president of Panthera Corporation and serves as chairman of their Cat Advisory Council along with renowned conservationist and Panthera CEO Alan Rabinowitz. Schaller is also a senior conservationist at the Bronx Zoo-based Wildlife Conservation Society.

Schaller's work in conservation has resulted in the protection of large stretches of area in the Amazon, Brazil, the Hindu Kush in Pakistan, and forests in Southeast Asia. Due in part to Schaller's work, over 20 parks or preserves worldwide have been established, including Alaska's Arctic National Wildlife Refuge (ANWR), the Shey-Phoksundo National Park in Nepal, and the Changtang Nature Reserve in Tibet, one of the world's most significant wildlife refuges. At over 200,000 miles (320,000 km), the Chang Tang Nature Reserve was called "One of the most ambitious attempts to arrest the shrinkage of natural ecosystems," by The New York Times.