OWLS OF THE EASTERN ICE | BOOK REVIEW
Jonathan C. Slaght (Allen Lane)
If a Blakiston’s fish owl landed in your garden, it is not something that you are likely to forget, as comparing a Blakiston’s fish owl to a Barn owl is like comparing the Empire State Building to a Portaloo. Wildlife researcher Jonathan Slaght has spent many years researching and protecting these majestic creatures from extinction in Russia; whilst volunteering with the Peace Corps there, Slaght caught a glimpse of a Blackiston’s fish owl. What made it a life-changing experience is that it was the first time in a century that this species had been sighted where he was volunteering – and so begins a story that takes place in one of the harshest terrains on the planet, whose own existence is under threat from climate change and logging.
The dense, hostile Ussuri taiga forest in Primorye is where Slaght has spent decades on his mission to save the world’s largest owls from extinction. In Owls Of The Eastern Ice, Slaght tells of tracking the owls for many weeks over hundreds of miles in conditions that would probably make Ranulph Fiennes hang up his Berghaus jacket. A fascinating true adventure story which is as much about the owls and nature as it is Jonathan Slaght, who has devoted his life to a meaningful and urgent cause.
words DAVID NOBAKHT
Price: £20. Info: here