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Cull of the Wild: Killing in the Name of Conservation Hardcover – June 11, 2024


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LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ON CONSERVATION

Investigating the ethical and practical challenges of one of the greatest threats to biodiversity: invasive species.

Across the world, invasive species pose a danger to ecosystems. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity ranks them as a major threat to biodiversity on par with habitat loss, climate change and pollution.

Tackling this isn't easy, and no one knows this better than Hugh Warwick, a conservationist who loathes the idea of killing, harming or even eating animals. Yet as an ecologist, he is acutely aware of the need, at times, to kill invasive species whose presence harms the wider environment.

Hugh explores the complex history of species control, revealing the global movement of species and the impacts of their presence. Combining scientific theory with gentle humour in his signature style, he explains the issues conservationists face to control non-native animals and protect native species – including grey and red squirrels on Anglesey, ravens and tortoises in the Mojave Desert, cane toads in Australia and the smooth-billed ani on the Galapagos – and describes cases like Pablo Escobar's cocaine hippos and the Burmese python pet trade.

Taking a balanced and open approach to this emotive subject, Hugh speaks to experts on all sides of the debate. How do we protect endangered native species? Which species do we prioritise? And how do we reckon with the ethics of killing anything in the name of conservation?


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From the Publisher

Cull of the Wild
Cull of the Wild
Cull of the Wild

Editorial Reviews

Review

“Fascinating, intelligent and indispensable: Hugh Warwick tackles a crucial and difficult subject that has been avoided for far too long, and does so with style, insight and verve.” ―George Monbiot

“Is killing for conservation right or wrong? There might be no easy answer, but Hugh Warwick employs honest and intelligent questioning in a fruitful, fascinating exploration of one of the skeletons in conservation's cupboard.” ―
Chris Packham

“It's hard to think of a more companionable guide to some of conservation's thorniest thickets than Hugh Warwick.
Cull of the Wild is a journey navigated with courage, curiosity and compassion. Every nature lover should read it.” ―Amy-Jane Beer

“With his customary good humour and grace, Hugh Warwick has tackled the knotted issues entailed in the control and culling of so-called pest species. While he might conclude that the matters themselves are invariably complex, his own approach is always clear and grounded in deep reflection.” ―
Mark Cocker

“The perfect introduction to the darker side of conservation, which Hugh Warwick explains with reverence and humour. A must read!” ―
Kate Bradbury

“A fascinating, readable book.” ―
Nature

“A crucially important book on a huge and urgent subject. Hugh Warwick is the perfect person to deal with this difficult and controversial issue, which few, if any, others would be brave enough to tackle.” ―
Stephen Moss

“This is a fascinating book which speaks volumes about its author: his tremendous erudition, his huge range of experience, his wit, his bonhomie, and above all his humility and determination to live as ethically as life allows.” ―
Nick Acheson

“Hugh's approach is heartfelt and balanced … his book will force everyone to reconsider how they feel about the widespread mindset behind this controversial and recurring approach to conservation.” ―
Marc Bekoff

“A thoughtful analysis of how to accommodate animal rights in an era of unprecedented environmental change.” ―
Kirkus Reviews

“Timely … well written and researched.” ―
Simon Lester, Country Life

“An eye-opening book taking a balanced look at an emotive subject.” ―
Bird Watching

“Warwick's searching meditation on the ethical uncertainties surrounding culling ... brings clarity and insight to a fraught subject.” ―
Publishers Weekly

“Cuts through the prejudice and passions that many of us bring to the debate about culling … Hugh Warwick maintains a balanced and honest perspective throughout.” ―Mike Toms,
British Wildlife

“Monumental.” ―
Washington Independent Review of Books

“[Hugh Warwick] writes with striking honesty … The final chapter is a masterclass in the psychology of the often brutal relationships between human and non-human animal life.” ―Richard Negus,
The Critic

About the Author

Hugh Warwick is an ecologist and environmental writer with a particular fondness for hedgehogs. Hugh has written for various publications, including BBC Wildlife, New Scientist and The Daily Telegraph. He is an accomplished public speaker, giving regular talks on conservation issues. His role as spokesperson for the British Hedgehog Preservation Society has led to many appearances on national radio and television.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Bloomsbury Wildlife (June 11, 2024)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 304 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1399403745
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1399403740
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.9 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.65 x 1.05 x 8.75 inches
  • Customer Reviews:

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Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
17 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Reviewed in the United States on June 13, 2024
The squirrels attracted me to this when reading a review in Nature. You see each day when I come down for breakfast the squirrels are lined up at my glass door in the kitchen waiting for me to open the curtain and provide them with peanuts. They are grey squirrels, the type the English are butchering on a daily basis. I thus sought to get some explanation for this cultural phenomenon. I live about 20 miles due west of the Status of Liberty, surrounded by trees and other plants and home to squirrels, chipmunks, foxes, rabbits and a massive number of birds, all of who seem to come up on my deck to pay a visit. Thus this book allegedly would be a window to those the Brits deal with those animals they perceive as invasive or predatory.

Regrettably this book appears in the current style, a massive collection of disconnected sentences, taking the reader from one fact to another and lacking in cohesion and structure. One goes from squirrels, to deer, to hedgehogs, to animal lovers, plant lovers, hunters, and Royal societies of every type and whim.

What is missing is a logical flow and cohesiveness. I recall in my youth having to write outlines, a logical structure to the tale one desires to articulate. However this book reads like just an articulation of one fact after another lacking in completeness. Some sentences are great others just leave me shaking my head. Halfway through and I just gave up. Perhaps it is just a generation thing.
4 people found this helpful
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Reviewed in the United States on June 11, 2024
I am defenseless against a good pun - so when I saw the title "Cull of the Wild" I could not resist the urge to check it out. And just reading the preface convinced me that I had just met an author of my favorite type: inquisitive, with a dry wit and an open mind.

Killing animals in the name of conservation is a very controversial subject, usually raised in the heat of one-sided attacks on people or organizations that do it. But things are more complicated than that. I have been interested in this issue for many years, and it troubles me as much as it troubles the author - so I appreciate his approach. As he writes, "The basis of this book is the collision between heart and head”.

Even if we can accept the fact that sometimes killing one animal for the sake of another is justified, there are still so many questions: How do we decide which species are worth saving and which should be decimated? Is there an ecologically perfect state that our actions should restore? Which animals are invasive, and which can be treated as native?

Hugh Wawick asks these questions and many more, visiting places and talking to experts, bringing back so many fascinating examples and admitting that there are no easy answers here. But I agree with him that "the arguments about letting nature take her course are redundant as we have already intervened, considerably".

Highly recommended for anyone who loves nature and cares about its preservation.

Thanks to the publisher, Bloomsbury Wildlife, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Top reviews from other countries

Sue G
5.0 out of 5 stars Compelling reading for anyone interested in conservation
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 22, 2024
I’m half way through this book and I have to say it’s the most compelling nature book I’ve read in years. The author really brings out the ethical dilemmas faced every day by ecologists and conservationists. He doesn’t tell us what should be done, but rather sets out the various dilemmas and leaves us to think them through. In doing so, we realise how hard the decisions are. I love nature but often get bored with the some of the worthy nature writing that’s out there. This book gives fascinating insights, and introduces us to the real people trying to make these hard decisions. I’m looking forward to reading the rest.
One person found this helpful
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MH
5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply wise and very accessible writing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2024
This is a very good read, it's deeply wise and has given me new perspectives.

I work in conservation, and it's a topic that comes up in my work. I really didn't know what to expect from this book, and whether I would find it challenging; I did in places. But what was refreshing was the author purposely challenged themselves also in writing the book and he takes the reader on that journey into the nuance.

The writing is excellent, it's accessible, well researched and balanced. It is only the 2nd time in my life that I have finished a book and gone straight back to the start to reread again. As I say it has changed my thinking and I feel I need to go back and consolidate.
Thanks for writing this book!
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MH
5.0 out of 5 stars Deeply wise and very accessible writing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 21, 2024
This is a very good read, it's deeply wise and has given me new perspectives.

I work in conservation, and it's a topic that comes up in my work. I really didn't know what to expect from this book, and whether I would find it challenging; I did in places. But what was refreshing was the author purposely challenged themselves also in writing the book and he takes the reader on that journey into the nuance.

The writing is excellent, it's accessible, well researched and balanced. It is only the 2nd time in my life that I have finished a book and gone straight back to the start to reread again. As I say it has changed my thinking and I feel I need to go back and consolidate.
Thanks for writing this book!
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5 people found this helpful
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IRIS SWANSTON
5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely book
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 10, 2024
Lovely book
Liam Thompson
3.0 out of 5 stars Good but room for improvement
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 16, 2024
What the author discusses in relation to the topic is all well written and relevant. However, there’d be room for far more info if he didn’t constantly wander off on tangents about his godchild, or high brow friends he never tires of mentioning. He’s also keen to endlessly remind the reader of his expertise in hedgehogs (relevant in the first main chapter, pointless after that) and mention events he’s been a keynote speaker for. In doing this the author falls into the trap most middle class nature writers fall into, they make themselves the main character rather than the narrator, assuming we’re interested in them and their travels rather than the topic.

Overall worth reading even if you’ve always been in favour of culling, and especially if you’re an opponent or agnostic.
2 people found this helpful
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W. Lankford
5.0 out of 5 stars thought provoking and obviously well researched
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 25, 2024
This is a thought provoking and obviously well researched book. I really appreciated the authors endeavours to be expansive in the examples he investigated and to draw together the ethical points to consider when one or more species are killed to protect other species. He also looks at the human aspects of these culls.
I'd really like to see the author tackle the decision processes behind human developments such as road lighting, housing, uncrossable roads and flood defences that have an obvious impact on fauna and flora but by virtue of a broader concensus of societal need and the unsexy nature of the species (compared to the beneficiaries of predator culls) are poorly addressed
One person found this helpful
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