The Beast in the Clouds

by Nathalia Holt ★★★★☆

It's 1928, and the two eldest sons of Theodore Roosevelt are about to embark on a quest. For years, people had speculated on the existence of the giant panda, a creature that had taken on mythical connotations given how rarely it had been sighted. When a missionary donated the skin of a giant panda to the American Museum of Natural History in 1919, it set off a firestorm of exploration to find and preserve a more complete specimen. But despite the heavy interest, no giant pandas were located by Western hunters in the next ten years, There was growing skepticism that the animal even truly existed, but the Roosevelt brothers were determined to find the answer.

The brothers—Theodore "Ted" Jr. and Kermit—are ten years removed from their father's death, but he still casts a large shadow over their lives. He was "the man they always wanted to please, and the person they looked up to most in the world. Every step since the day their father died, the brothers had been searching for the 'old lion'. They looked for him in relationships and jobs, but most of all in places like the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, where the wilderness transformed them back into the boys they had once been." The elder Roosevelt was a renowned hunter, and he advocated for hunting in the name of preservation. The prevailing opinion of the time was that "if a species was doomed, there was no point in protecting the last few remaining individuals. Nature had made her choice. Instead, scientists should learn as much about the species as possible. This sadly meant killing the animal to study it scientifically."

It feels like a warped and archaic viewpoint now, but it was the prevailing sentiment of the time, and those that opposed hunting endangered species were in the minority. "I can be condemned," the elder Roosevelt argued, "only if the existence of the National Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, and all similar zoological institutions are to be condemned." It's a fair point, and museums were wildly popular at the time.

This was a time in history were "explorer" and "adventurer" were common and respected professions, and the Roosevelts fancied themselves as such. "The 1920s were a decade of discovery, as groups of scientists, adventurers, and hunters ventured forth into the wilderness to fill museum collections. They were successful: every large mammal on earth had been attained, and their bodies mounted in exhibits, except for one." Ted and Kermit obtained funding from the Field Museum in Chicago and set out for China and Tibet late in 1928 in search of that last missing piece. Much of their map was incomplete. "Parts unknown" was still a very real thing, and as author Holt puts it, "the world was still a checkerboard of wonder, the continents imperfectly mapped."

Because almost nothing was known about the giant panda, scientists had attempted to ascribe characteristics of other bear species to the giant panda based on the color of its coat, assuming it was some cross between a polar bear and a black bear. "Researchers expected the animal to be extraordinarily fierce, with a combination of bite force and paw swipe never measured on earth, and likely one of the most aggressive animals in the world." It's a laughable presumption knowing what we know today, but it speaks to the level of courage required for the Roosevelts to undertake the adventure. They weren't tracking a lovable, passive, bamboo-eating klutz; they were stalking what was assumed to be one of the more dangerous animals on the planet.

Using the brothers' own journals and other past research on the expedition, Holt tracks the brothers' progress and adventures throughout the blank spaces on that map. They navigate uncharted terrain, persevere through treacherous weather, parlay with local leaders, and fend off bandits. They travel to places known as "Forge of the Arrows", "Kingdom of the Golden Monkey", and "Temple of Hell". The nonfiction account resembles an adventure novel or an Indiana Jones movie, and it's hard to believe that just 100 years ago the world was still so undiscovered and unconnected. The Roosevelts also possess an unexpected level of determination and grit. The journey is difficult and dangerous, but despite many setbacks, the brothers continue to forge ahead. While the term certainly didn't exist, they are effectively "nepo babies" of a century ago, but the privilege associated with the famous last name does not soften them, and their determination to make their famous father proud, even long after his death, is a powerful driving force for both brothers.

It's an interesting account, and one that filled in some gaps in my historical knowledge of the time. While the majority of the book focuses on the expedition, Holt also takes the opportunity to discuss conservationism and the role that the expedition had in helping to change the minds of people on preservation of endangered species. It's a little-known story that was worth bringing to light and worth your time to read.