In the late nineteenth century, humans came at long last to a devastating realisation: their rapidly industrialising and globalising societies were driving scores of animal species to extinction. In Beloved Beasts, acclaimed science journalist Michelle Nijhuis traces the history of the movement to protect and conserve other forms of life. From early battles to save charismatic species such as the American bison and bald eagle to today's global effort to defend life on a larger scale, Nijhuis's "spirited and engaging" account documents "the changes of heart that changed history" (Dan Cryer, Boston Globe).

With "urgency, passion, and wit" (Michael Berry, Christian Science Monitor), she describes the vital role of scientists and activists such as Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson, reveals the origins of vital organisations like the Audubon Society and the World Wildlife Fund, explores current efforts to protect species such as the whooping crane and the black rhinoceros and confronts the darker side of modern conservation, long shadowed by racism and colonialism.

As the destruction of other species continues and the effects of climate change wreak havoc on our world, Beloved Beasts charts the ways conservation is becoming a movement for the protection of all species including our own.

About the Author
Michelle Nijhuis is a project editor at the Atlantic, a contributing editor at High Country News, and an award-winning reporter whose work has been published in National Geographic and the New York Times Magazine. She is coeditor of The Science Writers' Handbook and lives in White Salmon, Washington.

Reviews
"A definitive and informative history... Nijhuis's detailed account is clear-eyed and unvarnished in its honesty." -- Valerie Thompson - Science
"Michelle Nijhuis has written a book that is both a beautiful, wise history and a measured call to action." -- Florence Williams



Book Information
ISBN 9780393882438
Author Michelle Nijhuis
Format Paperback
Page Count 352
Imprint WW Norton & Co
Publisher WW Norton & Co
Weight(grams) 277g
Dimensions(mm) 211mm * 140mm * 23mm