Cull of the Wild: Killing in the Name of Conservation

by Hugh Warwick

Overview

LONGLISTED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ON CONSERVATION

Investigating the ethical and practical challenges of one of the greatest threats to biodiversity: invasive species.

Across the world, invasive species pose a danger to ecosystems. The UN Convention on Biological Diversity ranks them as a major threat to biodiversity on par with habitat loss, climate change and pollution.

Tackling this isn't easy, and no one knows this better than Hugh Warwick, a conservationist who loathes the idea of killing, harming or even eating animals. Yet as an ecologist, he is acutely aware of the need, at times, to kill invasive species whose presence harms the wider environment.

Hugh explores the complex history of species control, revealing the global movement of species and the impacts of their presence. Combining scientific theory with gentle humour in his signature style, he explains the issues conservationists face to control non-native animals and protect native species – including grey and red squirrels on Anglesey, ravens and tortoises in the Mojave Desert, cane toads in Australia and the smooth-billed ani on the Galapagos – and describes cases like Pablo Escobar's cocaine hippos and the Burmese python pet trade.

Taking a balanced and open approach to this emotive subject, Hugh speaks to experts on all sides of the debate. How do we protect endangered native species? Which species do we prioritise? And how do we reckon with the ethics of killing anything in the name of conservation?

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781399403740
Publisher:	Bloomsbury USA
Publication date:	06/11/2024
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	402,952
Product dimensions:	5.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Hugh Warwick is an ecologist, writer and hedgehog expert. He is the author of three non-fiction narratives: A Prickly Affair, The Beauty in the Beast and Linescapes, and two books on hedgehogs and beavers. He has written for BBC Wildlife, New Scientist, The Guardian and The Daily Telegraph, and has spoken about wildlife protection on national television and radio. Hugh is the spokesperson for the Hedgehog Preservation Society and runs courses on hedgehog conservation.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Chapter 1: Hedgehogs

Aside: Cane toads

Chapter 2: Residents

Aside: Capercaillie and the pine marten

Chapter 3: Squirrels

Aside: Deer

Chapter 4: Lundy

Aside: Dormice

Chapter 5: Scilly

Aside: Galapagos

Chapter 6: Orkney

Aside: Raccoons

Chapter 7: Minkicide

Aside: Pythons

Chapter 8: Keepers

Aside: Cocaine hippos

Chapter 9: New Zealand

Aside: Scottish wildcat

Chapter 10: Compassionate conservation

Aside: Fortress conservation

Chapter 11: Ethically consistent conservation – a manifesto

Acknowledgements

Further reading

Index

Editorial Reviews

★ 04/22/2024

In this nuanced report, ecologist Warwick (Linescapes) probes the thorny moral quandaries surrounding attempts to contain animal populations through slaughter. Highlighting the humans and animals at the center of culling debates, Warwick explains that gray squirrels in Britain carry a virus that’s fatal to red squirrels and discusses environmentalist Craig Shuttlesworth’s controversial efforts to save the declining red population by catching and killing gray squirrels. Though invasive species are usually targeted for population control, native species can also come under fire, Warwick writes, pointing out that English gamekeepers kill foxes to protect pheasants and that cane toads were introduced to Australia to deplete the indigenous cane beetle population, only for the voracious toads to themselves become an ecological nuisance. The plentiful case studies reveal the complex, unintuitive calculations that must be considered in conservation efforts, as when Warwick notes that killing invasive dingoes in Australia resulted in higher rates of endemic small mammal deaths because the canines had been keeping down the number of non-native cats. Warwick’s searching meditation on the ethical uncertainties surrounding culling offers no easy answers, though he ultimately acknowledges that some killing in the name of the greater good may be necessary to undo harms caused by humans, even if he feels uneasy about it. This brings clarity and insight to a fraught subject. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Fascinating, intelligent and indispensable: Hugh Warwick tackles a crucial and difficult subject that has been avoided for far too long, and does so with style, insight and verve.” —George Monbiot

“Is killing for conservation right or wrong? There might be no easy answer, but Hugh Warwick employs honest and intelligent questioning in a fruitful, fascinating exploration of one of the skeletons in conservation's cupboard.” —Chris Packham

“It's hard to think of a more companionable guide to some of conservation's thorniest thickets than Hugh Warwick. Cull of the Wild is a journey navigated with courage, curiosity and compassion. Every nature lover should read it.” —Amy-Jane Beer

“With his customary good humour and grace, Hugh Warwick has tackled the knotted issues entailed in the control and culling of so-called pest species. While he might conclude that the matters themselves are invariably complex, his own approach is always clear and grounded in deep reflection.” —Mark Cocker

“The perfect introduction to the darker side of conservation, which Hugh Warwick explains with reverence and humour. A must read!” —Kate Bradbury

“A fascinating, readable book.” —Nature

“A crucially important book on a huge and urgent subject. Hugh Warwick is the perfect person to deal with this difficult and controversial issue, which few, if any, others would be brave enough to tackle.” —Stephen Moss

“This is a fascinating book which speaks volumes about its author: his tremendous erudition, his huge range of experience, his wit, his bonhomie, and above all his humility and determination to live as ethically as life allows.” —Nick Acheson

“Hugh's approach is heartfelt and balanced … his book will force everyone to reconsider how they feel about the widespread mindset behind this controversial and recurring approach to conservation.” —Marc Bekoff

“A thoughtful analysis of how to accommodate animal rights in an era of unprecedented environmental change.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Timely … well written and researched.” —Simon Lester, Country Life

“An eye-opening book taking a balanced look at an emotive subject.” —Bird Watching

“Warwick's searching meditation on the ethical uncertainties surrounding culling ... brings clarity and insight to a fraught subject.” —Publishers Weekly

“Cuts through the prejudice and passions that many of us bring to the debate about culling … Hugh Warwick maintains a balanced and honest perspective throughout.” —Mike Toms, British Wildlife

“Monumental.” —Washington Independent Review of Books

“[Hugh Warwick] writes with striking honesty … The final chapter is a masterclass in the psychology of the often brutal relationships between human and non-human animal life.” —Richard Negus, The Critic

From the Publisher

2024-03-29
A British ecologist wrestles with the ethical conundrums inherent in controlling invasive animals.

The introduction of invasive species is almost always caused by human actions. For example, the arrival of shipborne rats to a small Australian island led to “the extinction of 5 endemic bird, 13 invertebrate and 2 plant species,” while in the U.S. “already well-fed domestic cats” account for the deaths of 2.3 billion birds annually. Warwick, a champion of hedgehogs in his native England and the author of A Prickly Affair and Linescapes, allows that there are all sorts of philosophical problems with controlling alien predators in ecosystems—even those cute hedgehogs, which feast on juicy skinks on one specimen island in New Zealand. Killing is one option; however, the author asks, “What had the hedgehogs done to deserve that sort of treatment?” The solution has proved somewhat easier on a Scottish island where invasive hedgehogs can be returned to the mainland, where they are part of the ecosystem. It turns out to be more difficult in the enclosed dynamics of island ecologies, where, when one predator has started to cause damage, the tendency has been to introduce another predator to control it—e.g., masked owls on that rat-infested Australian island, which, once the rats were reduced, turned to feeding on native birds and lizards. Warwick’s narrative is sometimes repetitive, but his central point remains: Given that we know that animals are capable of suffering, is it right to take the utilitarian view that the pain of a few is worth the salvation of the many? It’s a problem that we’re likely to confront ever more frequently as climate change forces animal species to relocate to new places—becoming invaders, in other words, and thus both predator and prey.

A thoughtful analysis of how to accommodate animal rights in an era of unprecedented environmental change.

Kirkus Reviews