Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think About Animals

Readers longing to hear some good news about the state of endangered species will be grateful for this book containing stories of successful wildlife recovery in the United States and Europe (other geographical areas are unfortunately omitted). Aided by Tristan Morris’s emotive narration, Preston (The Synthetic Age) explains the critical connection between wildlife restoration and climate change. For example, he notes the importance of beavers, which are pivotal in keeping forests, insects, and plants healthy; when they were hunted nearly to extinction and affected by manmade dams, their vital role became apparent. As Preston notes, humans may not be great engineers, but beavers are fantastic. Morris captures Preston’s passion as he discusses the many species of whales, as well as wolves, bears, eagles, and bobcats that have come back from the brink of extinction owing to humans working in partnership with them. Throughout the book, Preston asks how much human intervention is appropriate; while he never arrives at an answer, he makes it clear that the effort to restore wildlife is worth the effort.