The Deadly Balance
Predators and People in a Crowded World
Download image
ISBN10: 1472985362
ISBN13: 9781472985361
Hardcover
368 Pages
$28.00
CA$37.00
Whether it's lions in Africa, tigers in India or sharks in the world's oceans, we are fascinated by—and often terrified of—predators. Animals that can hunt, kill, and eat us occupy a unique place in the human psyche, and for good reason. Predation forms a big part of our evolutionary history, but in the modern world there are many people who live alongside animals that can, and sometimes do, make them prey.
In The Deadly Balance, biologist Adam Hart explores the complex relationships we have with predators, and investigates what happens when humans become prey. From big cats to army ants, via snakes, bears, wolves, crocodiles, piranhas and more, Hart busts some myths and explores the science behind such encounters. Despite their fearsome and often wildly exaggerated reputations, these animals have far more to fear from us than we do from them. By probing the latest conservation science, Hart explores how we might both conserve the world's predators and live safely alongside them.
Reviews
Praise for The Deadly Balance
“Conservation is never easy—especially when predators and people are involved. In The Deadly Balance, Hart guides us through the challenges people and predators face around the world and discusses the solutions we need to adopt to conserve predators and keep people safe. An authoritative must-read for anyone interested in wildlife and conservation.”—Steve Backshall, zoologist and TV presenter
“Immersive, poignant and primal, this timely book is a powerful reminder of our humble place alongside predators, and their vital role in building a functioning, resilient planet.”—Sophie Pavelle, author of Forget Me Not
“If we are to live alongside predators in a seemingly ever-decreasing world, we need to understand them now better than ever before. Hart's book provides that insight and understanding. A brilliant book, unravelling our complex and interwoven relationships with some of the planet's most iconic predators”—Ben Garrod, author and TV presenter
"In Hart's capable hands, predators are anything but monsters: they are living, breathing organisms that are exemplars of survival, that shape ecosystems and that directly influence the lives of humans and communities with whom they co-exist.”—Jules Howard, author of Wonderdog
“Hart formulates strategies to protect people from predation and to protect animals from us . . . Caution advised: Hart's accounts of human predation are tragic and frequently gory. This study pairs well with Mary Roach's Fuzz (2021) and Bethany Brookshire's Pests (2022), which are also concerned with human-wildlife conflict. 'Man-eaters' simultaneously fascinate and frighten us. Both reactions are appropriate.”—Booklist