Wild Souls: Freedom and Flourishing in the Non-Human World [B2037]

2021 HCDJ in gift-worthy condition. From an acclaimed environmental writer, a groundbreaking and provocative new vision for our relationships with--and responsibilities toward--the planet's wild animals. Protecting wild animals and preserving the environment are two ideals so seemingly compatible as to be almost inseparable. But in fact, between animal welfare and conservation science there exists a space of underexamined and unresolved tension: wildness itself. When is it right to capture or feed wild animals for the good of their species? How do we balance the rights of introduced species with those already established within an ecosystem? Can hunting be ecological? Are any animals truly wild on a planet that humans have so thoroughly changed? No clear guidelines yet exist to help us resolve such questions. Transporting readers into the field with scientists tackling these profound challenges, Emma Marris tells the affecting and inspiring stories of animals around the globe--from Peruvian monkeys to Australian bilbies, rare Hawai'ian birds to majestic Oregon wolves. And she offers a companionable tour of the philosophical ideas that may steer our search for sustainability and justice in the non-human world. Revealing just how intertwined animal life and human life really are, Wild Souls will change the way we think about nature-and our place within it.

From recent Amazon/GoodReads reviews: "10 stars!! Thoughtful research and writing about the moral dilemma of being human in the natural world."; "I count this book as one of my favorites examining humans' intervention in the lives of other species. I enjoyed the complex discussions and the reality that there are no perfect answers much of the time- Just less harmful ones."; "A very thorough and beautifully anecdotal argument supporting responsible conservation and considering multiple facets and nuances of our place as humans in this conversation. I loved the nature writing, the philosophical wrestling, and the thoughtful conclusion to summarize how we might change by the reading of this book."