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A review by octavia_cade
The Beast in the Garden: A Modern Parable of Man and Nature by David Baron
4.0
In 1991, in a small community outside Boulder, Colorado, a mountain lion killed an eighteen year old student as he was running in the area around his high school. This attack was predicted by some in the local conservation community - and the possibility of it waved away by others in that same community, as mountain lions have been famously wary of humans in the past - and the lead up to, and the consequences of, this attack make up the book.
It's honestly pretty fascinating. The context of Boulder's environmental history, which has created large protected areas that have caused the local deer population to explode, has seen the slow recolonisation of the area by mountain lions, which were once hunted almost to extinction there. Those lions have, over time, become habituated to humans, no longer seeing them as threat. And indeed most of the residents of Boulder seemed thoroughly delighted to know that big cats existed in the region, and were occasionally rewarded with a glimpse of one. Thus the cats, feeling increasingly safe from interference, began wandering through back gardens and even, occasionally, eating a pet. And then they started going after humans...
The fascinating thing is that, even then, popular response was still to protect the lions. And, you know, I have sympathy for that, but the balancing act between protecting wildlife and protecting people is clearly a difficult one. As Baron points out, the history and emotions regarding conservation in Boulder came smack up against preservation of a different kind. It's really very, very interesting, with a considered presentation of all sides, albeit one that finally plumps for a more hands-on approach to wildlife management.
Also, that cover is gorgeous.
It's honestly pretty fascinating. The context of Boulder's environmental history, which has created large protected areas that have caused the local deer population to explode, has seen the slow recolonisation of the area by mountain lions, which were once hunted almost to extinction there. Those lions have, over time, become habituated to humans, no longer seeing them as threat. And indeed most of the residents of Boulder seemed thoroughly delighted to know that big cats existed in the region, and were occasionally rewarded with a glimpse of one. Thus the cats, feeling increasingly safe from interference, began wandering through back gardens and even, occasionally, eating a pet. And then they started going after humans...
The fascinating thing is that, even then, popular response was still to protect the lions. And, you know, I have sympathy for that, but the balancing act between protecting wildlife and protecting people is clearly a difficult one. As Baron points out, the history and emotions regarding conservation in Boulder came smack up against preservation of a different kind. It's really very, very interesting, with a considered presentation of all sides, albeit one that finally plumps for a more hands-on approach to wildlife management.
Also, that cover is gorgeous.