The tiger and the unicorn

Conservation and the art of the deal

Featured in

  • Published 20231107
  • ISBN: 978-1-922212-89-4
  • Extent: 208pp
  • Paperback, ePub, PDF, Kindle compatible

HENRY IS THIRTEEN years old and weighs 189 kilograms. His job could best be described as ‘ambassador’ – a charismatic diplomat for the plight of his species. One of a bumper crop of Amur (Siberian) cubs born at the Bronx Zoo in 2010, he will almost certainly die there after a long and reasonably content life of horse-meat shish kebabs and carefully designed ‘tiger enrichment’. His namesake: Henry Williamson, Wizard of Wall Street, founder of Tiger Holdings, and long-time trustee of the non-profit responsible for managing the zoo.

Henry Williamson launched Tiger Holdings in 1980 with US$8 million dollars. At its peak, his fund was the largest in the market, worth over US$20 billion. But Henry’s legacy rests largely on the enduring market power of what became known as the ‘Tiger Cubs’, a well-networked clique of financiers he mentored and funded unto their own fortunes as the natural heirs to his ambition. When Henry died, big-cat non-profits eulogised him in feline terms: ‘The rarest of breeds…a unique combination of refined elegance, trenchant intellectual power, and boyish charm, [he] strode across his various ecosystems much like the charismatic megafauna after which he named his iconic firm.’

Already a subscriber? Sign in here

If you are an educator or student wishing to access content for study purposes please contact us at griffithreview@griffith.edu.au

Share article

About the author

Fred Hill

Fred Hill was born in New York City and now lives on Cammeraygal land in Sydney. She has worked across several climate and environmental...

More from this edition

All legs good

Introduction READER, I’VE TRIED. I’ve tried so hard not to begin this introduction by writing about my cats. But here I am, writing about my...

Help wanted

Poetry The opening said no training required; the slaughterer’s tasks are two: stun and slaughter.  With a third parenthetical:  Remove the organs  and the waste  as needed. Heifers all  have name tags here:...

Easy rider

In ConversationMy first bull-riding job was a portrait of a young rider named Ian ‘Irish’ Molan from Cork, Ireland, for the upcoming event in Darwin that weekend. I attended the event that weekend and photographed behind the scenes and focused on Ian Molan in action. When it was the Irishman’s turn, he was thrown off the bull, who stomped on the rider’s chest repeatedly. I thought Ian was going to die. The bull was relentless.

Stay up to date with the latest, news, articles and special offers from Griffith Review.