BEAK, TOOTH AND CLAW: Living with Predators in Britain

From foxes and ravens attacking new-born lambs to weasels eating game-bird chicks, predators compete with us, putting them directly into the firing line. Buzzards, crows, badgers, seals, kites - Britain and Ireland's predators are impressive and diverse, and they capture our collective imagination, but some people may even consider them our enemies. Farming, fishing, sport and leisure industries want to see numbers of predators reduced, and conservation organisations also worry that predators are threatening some endangered species. So what do we do? Mary Colwell travels across the UK and Ireland to encounter the predators face to face and watches their lives in the wild and discovers how they fit into the landscape. She talks to the scientists studying them and the wildlife lovers who want to protect them and also meets the people who want to control them to protect their livelihoods or sporting interests. Hers is a thoughtful and reasoned analysis of the debates surrounding the human story of living with predators, already soaked in blood and passion. She touches on religion and the philosophy of predation, children's literature, Christianity and the necessity of killing to eat which has become a sign of humanity's sinfulness. 312pp, rather lovely illustrations.