The Tiger is one of the world's most iconic animals, yet it stands on the brink of tragedy. Poaching and habitat loss have so reduced tiger numbers that extinction in the wild is now a real possibility. Only in a few protected areas are they secure; one such place is Pench National Park in central India, where for the past three years a TV film crew have followed the lives of a remarkable tigress and her four cubs. This book provides a unique insight into their lives through diary extracts by cameraman Michael W. Richards. A series of twelve feature spreads by tiger expert Hashim Tyabji looks at the broader picture, at subjects such as tiger ecology and conservation, the impact of poaching and at what the future may hold for the world's increasingly beleaguered wild tigers.Published in association with the BBC, this book is illustrated by superb photography drawn from "Tiger - Spy in the Jungle", a television programme made for the BBC by John Downer Productions and anticipated for transmission in spring 2008. The story of the Pench tigers offers hope that, with adequate protection, the Tiger can continue to prowl the forests of Asia in safety.