The tiger had eaten Markov over a three-day period, but that had been more than a week ago and, once again, the animal was ravenous. His routine had also been disrupted; he was no longer making his usual rounds. Instead, he was moving in a linear fashion, steadily downstream. In doing so, he may well have been poaching on other tigers’ territories. Though this tiger was in his prime, and large, he was now seriously wounded and vulnerable to attack by another dominant male. The tiger was hunting constantly as he moved down the valley toward Sobolonye, and every step was painful. In the tiger’s
