Tooth and Claw is a must have for all interested in wildlife and its conservation. It presents a clear view on our attitudes towards wild animals with a particular focus on predators and their possible re-introduction in Britain.
The book starts with the animal that is probably the most emblematic symbol of wilderness in the world – the wolf, then goes on touching delicate issues such as fox hunting, predators on land water and air, to the impact of our loved domestic cat on wildlife. The authors manage to maintain a non biased view on every chapter including opinions from both modern day conservation bodies and rural tradition. Step by step we are told about different predators of Britain, their impact and the views we as a society have on them. We are taken on a trip though the history of our attitudes towards these animals and their changes up to our days. Perhaps the most striking conclusion is that the future of our predators is not based on a scientific and ecologic approach but on the opinions and perception we all have as a society about them. It goes on explaining that our artificial life has distanced us of the natural world, creating indifference, ignorance and fears that need to be addressed if we are to coexist with our predators and learn to share this world that we don’t own, but are part of. The authors conclude that predators are not only necessary for the health of the ecosystems but their presence brings a “feelgood” factor that seems to be intrinsically connected to our own human nature.This is a book about people and predators and their relationship, about the (im)balance of our ecosystems without these animals and our failed attempt to manage them almost always with the use the trigger. Tooth and Claw is filled with beautiful and sometimes terrifying images, revealing the talent of both Peter Cairns and Mark Hamblin as photographers as well as writers. This is a definite must-have for anyone trying to make sense of conservation in our modern day world.
