Lions, and Tigers, and Ocelots - Oh My!

Fierce Beauty is a celebration of tigers, leopards, lions, ocelots, and other wild cats that inhabit The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS), a wildlife preserve in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.

The institute's fifty acres are home to more than one hundred rare animals, from ligers (a hybrid cross between a male lion and a tigress) that stretch nearly twelve feet long to cheetahs capable of running seventy miles per hour, safeguarding them from the poachers, habitat destruction, and population fragmentation that threaten their existence.

Despite their place atop the food chain, big cats teeter on the brink of extinction. Where more than 100,000 tigers lived in Asia at the start of the twentieth century, fewer than 4,000 exist today.

Featuring exclusive new portraits from preeminent nature photographers Tim Flach and Barry Bland, Fierce Beauty provides readers with an intimate, unobstructed encounter with the beauty, power and grace of nature's big cat masterpieces.

The text includes contributions form such distinguished conservationists as zoologist Jim Fowler; David Barron, founder of the International Conservation Caucus Foundation; and Stephen J. O'Brien, Chief of the Laboratory of Genomic Diversity at the National Cancer Institute, among others.

Together, these fascinating and complementary perspectives form a compelling case in support of the critical service rendered by private wildlife facilities in caring for and preserving nature's many endangered big cats.

Fierce Beauty
Preserving the World of Wild Cats

by Bhagavan "Doc" Antle

Photography by Tim Flach and Barry Bland

Foreword by Robert Duvall 

Hardcover | 246 pages | $50.00

Help save the Yamuna River

About the Yamuna

The Yamuna flows through many of India’s most significant attractions, including the capital New Delhi, with a population of almost fourteen million; Vrindavan, an international pilgrimage site visited by tens of millions annually; and the Taj Mahal, a World Heritage site and one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Over fifty million people rely on the Yamuna for their daily needs, using the water for religious observances, agricultural needs, and bathing, washing, and cooking. In addition to benefiting the human population, the Yamuna has supported a vast ecosystem of wildlife, such as fish, turtles, crocodiles, river dolphins, and aquatic plants.

Aside from agricultural, ecological, and domestic uses, the Yamuna River has long been regarded as a cultural icon and defining symbol of India. Ancient scriptures, traditional and contemporary art, music, festivals, and even the Indian National Anthem, demonstrate the reverence in which the river is held.

Basic Facts

• The Yamuna River is the largest tributary of the Ganges River, with a catchment area (345,848 sq km / 133,533 sq m) that constitutes 40 percent of the total Ganga River Basin.
• The river is 1,376 km (855 miles) long and passes through seven Indian states.
• The Yamuna is water source for 57 million people.
• 97 percent of the river’s water is directed away from the riverbed not far from its source. The balance dries up within a few kilometers. None of the original river water flows beyond that point north of Delhi.
• Whatever little water reaches New Delhi does so through various canals entering the riverbed. A Central Pollution Control Board of India report in 2006 stated that there is “almost no fresh water in the river” beyond New Delhi. The report declared that for 580 km (360 m) south of Delhi, the river is “critically polluted.” A subsequent report in 2009 states that, “There is no doubt that the river is a cesspool for Delhi’s waste.”
• The levels of pollution in the water flowing through and out of Delhi are so high that even bathing in the water is dangerous. The water from the river is also replenishing groundwater in the area, resulting in highly polluted well water, which threatens the health of millions of people.
• Many accounts of severe illness and death have been attributed to the toxic state of the river’s water quality downstream of New Delhi.

You can help by joining the Yamuna Network's efforts. Follow them on Facebook and learn more at their website, www.yamunanetwork.com.

The Yamuna Network is a nonprofit coalition of like-minded organizations and individuals whose sole purpose is to stop Yamuna River's waters from being diverted and prevent industrial and municipal waste from entering her waters, restoring the river to her past glory.

Wildlife Philanthropy

Wildlands Philanthropy is a testament to what one person can do to save the natural lands of our world. Stunning photographs and compelling stories come together in this one-of-a-kind book, inspiring readers to actively engage in saving our planet, one piece of land at a time.

Wildlands Philanthropy from Insight Editions on Vimeo. Learn more in Wildlands Philanthrophy by Tom Butler, with photographs by Antonio Vizcaino and introduction by Tom Brokaw.

Global Warning

Sebastian Copeland witnessed the accelerated devastation of the Antarctic ice shelf while aboard the research vessel the Ice Lady Patagonia on behalf of Global Green. He uncovered both the awesome beauty of Antarctica and the alarming warnings made visible through his lens. Here he shares images of not only otherworldly glaciers, fields and fjords but also clear signs of the massive inroads that climate change has made on the continent.

Antarctica the Global Warning from Insight Editions on Vimeo. Learn more in Antarctica, the Global Warning with photographs by Sebastian Copeland with an introduction by Leonardo diCaprio.