ApexNews
Return to Main
Book

Beloved Beasts: Fighting for Life in an Age of Extinction

2021

Synopsis

In the late nineteenth century, humans came at long last to a devastating realization: their rapidly industrializing and globalizing 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”.

With “urgency, passion, and wit”, she describes the vital role of scientists and activists such as Aldo Leopold and Rachel Carson, reveals the origins of vital organizations 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.

Suggested Reading

Silent Spring

Silent Spring, published in 1962 by Rachel Carson, is a groundbreaking environmental science book that catalyzed the modern environmental movement by exposing the devastating effects of chemical pesticides, particularly DDT, on ecosystems and human health. The book opens with a haunting fable depict...

Purchase on Amazon View Details

The Bald Eagle: The Improbable Journey of America's Bird

The bald eagle is regal but fearless, a bird you’re not inclined to argue with. For centuries, Americans have celebrated it as “majestic” and “noble,” yet savaged the living bird behind their national symbol as a malicious predator of livestock and, falsely, a snatcher of babies. Taking us from befo...

Purchase on Amazon View Details

We use cookies to improve your experience on our website. By continuing to browse, you accept our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.