United States
£ GBP
This richly illustrated book profiles more than 30 predatory mammals, birds, and reptiles commonly found in North America. Readers will learn to identify predatory species through tracks, scat, and the damage they leave behind. Aimed at people in rural areas where human-wildlife conflict is common, this book gives an insight into the behaviour and habits and predators. By offering humane, nonlethal control methods and effective advice on preventing loss of livestock and pets, this book promotes compassion and coexistence through an understanding of predatory animals, rather than indiscriminate extermination.
"A thorough book of facts and practical advice on coexisting with troublesome predators. Running throughout is a unifying plea of compassion: These are not mindless enemies to be vanquished, but irreplaceable neighbors to be cherished."
– Will Stolzenburg, author of Heart of a Lion and Where the Wild Things Were
"Suburban homeowners know if a skunk has visited their property but may not be aware of what attracted this predator. A farmer may discover the corpse of a lamb, a scattering of feathers, or an empty, licked-out egg shell and wonder if a hawk, fox, or something else was responsible. Dohner (Farm Dogs; Historic and Endangered Livestock and Poultry Breeds) has some answers. Full-color photographs depict the many predators of North America and Canada, and illustrations of paw prints and scat provide more information for identifying an unseen animal. Edifying entries describe the creatures and suggest measures to discourage them from showing up on one's property. The exhaustive descriptions make it easy to identify the predators, and an extensive section on nonlethal control methods encourages coexistence rather than extermination. The appendix includes websites and an index organized by predator name, identifying the damage the animal is capable of. VERDICT Useful for farmers and homeowners researching predator issues, this volume offers plenty of material for general and student audiences."
– Library Journal
"Small-farmer Dohner follows up her well-received Farm Dogs (2016) with a volume of equal value not only to farmers and ranchers – covering such impactful predators as bears, mountain lions, feral swine, and raptors – but also to city and suburban dwellers bedeviled by the likes of rats, raccoons, crows, and even domestic "roaming" cats and dogs. The book is well organized into animal families (cats, bears, weasels, raccoons, skunks, opossums, rats, domestic and feral animals, birds of prey, true owls, crows, snapping turtles, gators/crocs, and snakes), which are then broken down into more-specific animals (e.g., American crow, common raven, and black-billed magpie under the crow category). Most animal-family entries include a "damage ID" that includes method of kill, paw prints, gait, time of day they hunt, and even a drawing (not photo, thankfully) of their scat."
– Booklist
