The Buffalo Wolf: Predators, Prey and the Politics of Nature

Price 24.95 USD

EAN/UPC/ISBN Code 9781588341532


A wildlife adventure set amid North America"s last uninterrupted wolf-bison predator-prey cycle. Carbyn"s tale is an adventurous first-person narrative of a scientist in one of the most remote places on earth—Wood Buffalo National Park in northwestern Canada—studying the only remaining uninterrupted predator-prey relationship of wolves and bison. As remote as the park is, however, the long reach of human civilization is everywhere to be found. An odd collaboration of ranchers, government officials and conservation groups propose that all the bison be killed because they harbor diseases such as tuberculosis, brucellosis, and anthrax. The threat to cattle is the primary mover, but some conservationists have dreams of a "pure herd" and want to start over. Carbyn sees it differently, always basing his opinions in science, but also realizing that the bison are part of the long cultural heritage of Canada"s native peoples. He expertly navigates through these emotional debates, exploring their twists and turns with insight and compassion. 17 b/w photographs, 2 maps.