|
I knew they were out there somewhere, and I was determined to find them．
Like most tourists who visit Ranthambore National Park in India, I went with just one goal in mind：to see tigers in the wild．
Twice a day, all year round, 10 open-topped trucks are allowed to rumble along the park’s dirt roads for a few hours．It costs 360 rupees(about ＄8, U．S．)to buy a seat on one of the trucks．Glimpses of tigers are free．
Of course, nothing is guaranteed．Forty tigers wander Ranthambore’s 388 square miles．But tigers hear and smell us long before we can see them．Some tourists I met near the park were lucky enough to see a handful of tigers up close during just one trip．Other people saw none, even after going out six or more times．
Still, I couldn’t pass up(miss)the excursion(short journey)．It was an opportunity that might someday disappear．Tigers are among the most endangered animals on Earth．In India, where about half of the planet’s remaining 7000 wild tigers live, tigers face a number of threats, especially from a growing human population．More than a billion people live in India today, and development is rapidly expanding into what was once largely tiger territory．
Conservationists nonetheless(in spite of that)remain optimistic．“The tiger will not disappear,”said P．K．Sen, director of the Tiger and Wildlife Program for World Wildlife Fund-India(WWF-India)．He was kind enough to meet with me in his New Delhi office on a Sunday, the only day I spent in the city during a recent 3-week trip to India．
There’s no way, Sen said, that people will ever let the majestic cats die out．“The tiger has been a symbol of strength and might for thousands of years,”he said．
| 
阅读快车系列答案