The Deadly Balance: Predators and People in a Crowded World

Description

From army ants to leopards, crocodiles to sharks, leopard seals, 'killer whales', lions, eagles and wolves there seems to be no shortage of species ready and able to eat us. But what do species really think of us as food and how often are we on the menu? In Eaten, Adam Hart explores the idea of humans as prey, weaving together material from a surprising variety of sources. Whether it is Jonah and the whale, tales of piranhas or accounts of the famous man-eating tigers of India (in fact, better described as women-eating based on the data) there is a wealth of historical, cultural, ecological and biological connections linking us with our potential predators. Digging deeper into the archaeological record reveals that predation had a huge influence on our evolution and helped shape us into the animals we are today. We carry the legacy of being a prey animal in our genes. The psychology of being hunted, especially of being a fugitive in the modern world, is so great it has spawned an ecosystem of TV series and real-world 'hunted' experiences. However, for many people living in the developing world being hunted is not a game but an everyday reality. In India, leopards and tigers are increasingly implicated in the deaths (and subsequent consumption) of people. In rural Africa, being hunted and eaten by a leopard, a lion, a crocodile or even a large python is a daily concern for many. Adam looks for the truth behind the headlines to find out how common being eaten really is, and he explores what it is about the ecology of these 'human-eating' animals that puts us on the menu. Answering the question when does an animal become a human-eater is far from straightforward; in many cases it is our influence on the natural world that may be creating the problem. All in all, in the world of human consumption there are a great many myths and legends to unpick. There is a deep-seated cultural fear of being eaten and a host of stories and half-truths. Adam unpicks the evidence to find out whether ants can really eat us, whether you could really survive being eaten by a whale and more besides. From peckish pythons to ravenous rats there is no shortage of myth and science to explore when we're on the menu.

Adam Hart is an entomologist and Professor of Science Communication at the University of Gloucestershire. He is a regular broadcaster for both Radio 4 and the BBC World Service, including documentaries such as Inside the Killing Jar, Big Game Theory, Raising Allosaurus, and On the Trail of the American Honeybee. He has also presented Science in Action for the BBC World Service. On television, Adam has co-presented several documentary series, most notably BBC4's Planet Ant: Life Inside the Colony, BBC2's Life on Planet Ant and BBC2's Hive Alive. Adam is the author of more than eighty scientific research papers. His previous popular science book was The Life of Poo (2015, Octopus Books).

Conservation is never easy - especially when predators and people are involved. In The Deadly Balance, Hart guides us through the challenges people and predators face around the world and discusses the solutions we need to adopt to conserve predators and keep people safe. An authoritative must-read for anyone interested in wildlife and conservation. * Steve Backshall, zoologist and TV presenter * Immersive, poignant and primal, this timely book is a powerful reminder of our humble place alongside predators, and their vital role in building a functioning, resilient planet. * Sophie Pavelle, author of Forget Me Not * If we are to live alongside predators in a seemingly ever-decreasing world, we need to understand them now better than ever before. Hart's book provides that insight and understanding. A brilliant book, unravelling our complex and interwoven relationships with some of the planet's most iconic predators * Ben Garrod, author and TV presenter * One of the most refreshing perspectives on predators I have ever read: an impassioned plea for us to consider the lived experience of people and communities for whom predation is an ever-present threat, that is effortlessly readable and grounded in great science. In Hart's capable hands, predators are anything but monsters: they are living, breathing organisms that are exemplars of survival, that shape ecosystems and that directly influence the lives of humans and communities with whom they co-exist. * Jules Howard, author of Wonderdog *