30-06-2025
‘The Beast in the Clouds' Review: A Bear of an Expedition
Growing up in New York City, Theodore Roosevelt planned to be a naturalist. Although he eventually chose politics, he never lost his love of the outdoors, as seen in his record as a conservationist, rancher, hunter and explorer. Roosevelt's two oldest sons, Theodore Jr. (Ted) and Kermit, shared their father's passion, and in 1928 the brothers mounted a monthslong expedition to Tibet and China to collect animal specimens for Chicago's Field Museum of Natural History.
In 'The Beast in the Clouds,' Nathalia Holt recounts that journey. Both Ted and Kermit were veterans of World War I. By the time they left for Asia, Ted, 41, was a successful investment banker who had held several political offices, including assistant secretary of the Navy. In 1924 he was the Republican nominee for New York governor. Unlike his father, he was not elected.
After the war, Kermit, two years Ted's junior, founded the Roosevelt Steamship Co. Of the two brothers, he was the more experienced outdoorsman, having accompanied their father on his African safari (1909-1910) and his harrowing journey to Brazil to chart the River of Doubt (1913-14). 'I seek my father in the wild places,' Kermit wrote, and for both brothers hunting was a way to relive the happy days of their youth.
In 1925 Ted and Kermit had led an expedition through the Himalayas, collecting more than 2,000 zoological specimens for the Field Museum. Three years later, they organized their second trek, searching especially for the giant panda, about which little was known. Although they were again sponsored by the Field Museum, the Roosevelts were clearly drawn by the thrill of the hunt more than any contribution to science.
