Safe Return Doubtful

Indian Literature – nonfiction – published August 2025

Dr Kulbhushansingh Suryawanshi travelled across the snow leopard landscape of the world for his doctoral dissertation. He is a scientist at the Nature Conservation Foundation (NCF) Bengaluru, and director of the India programme of the Snow Leopard Trust. He has studied the animal for two decades. In 2006 having become an accomplished mountaineer, Suryawanshi joined the Wildlife Biology and Conservation course at NCF and moved to Spiti Valley in Himachal Pradesh to study blue sheep.. a way in, as blue sheep are a chief part of the leopard’s diet.

Conservationists may do vital and interesting jobs in some of the world’s most inaccessible places, but few are able to write well about their work as well. Jonathan Slaght immediately comes to mind with his recent books on the Blakiston Fish Owl and the Siberian Tiger (both of which are exceptional), but Suryawanshi aspires here to reach the same heights.

Avoiding overreliance on scientific data, this fascinating book is more akin to an informative adventure novel as it gets up close to these creatures and their habits. It is strong also on the process of conservation and the sort of problems that stand in the way. The local people and others involved in his project play important roles and are well described also.

My GoodReads score 5 / 5