A man. A tiger. A tornado. Jared Montaine owns a big cat rescue in Florida and faces financial pressures, getting over his ex-wife, and the challenge of suburbia creeping ever closer to his enclave for the animals. But when a tornado wrecks part of the refuge, Jared's worst fear comes to life: his Siberian tiger, Sultan, escapes. It's a big cat handler’s nightmare: a tiger on the loose, confused, lost -- and hungry. Jared races against the police, the media, and the hysterical public, all of whom are clamoring for the tiger's hide. He must re-capture Sultan before the cat is killed -- by traffic, by SWAT, or by a civilian who just wants to shoot a tiger. With fellow wildlife handlers at his side, Jared fights desperately to find and capture Sultan before the tiger injures or kills a human. Because that would lead to his worst nightmare -- having to kill the tiger he hand-raised from a cub. Jared’s commitment is tested -- to his animals, his refuge, and his belief that saving the life of even one tiger is worth losing everything.

The Tiger Whisperer

“As far as we know, Sultan hasn’t eaten since Tuesday night. Since we raised him from a cub, I doubt he’s had much success in hunting. He’ll go after anything small and slow; some of the locals have chickens and geese in their yards. There are a few small farms nearby with goats and horses, and then the cattle ranches all around. I don’t think he’d go after anything that big, but you never know.”


Jared paced in front of the targets. “Look for tracks obviously, look for claw marks on trees, look for scat. Use your nose; you know what tiger shit smells like, even when it’s covered. Stop and listen once in a while and chuff. He might respond. Most of the undeveloped area is cypress woods; he’s gonna blend in pretty well.


“I absolutely do not want you separated from your dart partner. Keep each other in sight at all times. If you have to pee, pee with an audience. I mean it.”


Chapter 38