The Bear at the Bird Feeder
Why We're Seeing More Wild Animals in Our Neighborhoods and How We Can Live in Harmony with Them
Randi Minetor’s wildlife guide is for those who live in urban areas; it suggests best practices for coexisting with one’s wild neighbors.
Featuring a menagerie including squirrels, bears, and geese, the book covers the difficulties that arise when wild creatures end up in urban environments. It considers both the dangers that humans present to animals and the dangers that animals represent to humans. Its style is reportorial, bringing to life issues like the importance of protecting nature and the consequences of encroaching development on the wild.
Tales about how some of the creatures common to people’s yards were driven to near extinction in the US appear, alongside accounts of how these wild populations recovered. Some of the book’s stories are comical, as with Minetor’s tale of her encounter with a bat in a bedroom and with an account of turkeys in Rhode Island; others are dark, as with a note of someone’s death following an alligator encounter. There’s clear advice for dealing with local critters too, with notes on protecting one’s property, what to do on trails, and reasons not to feed wildlife. Further, the text is dense with resources, including information related to local regulations and where to buy repellent to ward off foxes. All is meant to ensure that both humans and animals can stay safe and comfortable, even when in close proximity to one another.
Amplified by entertaining tales about human-and-wildlife misadventures, The Bear at the Bird Feeder is a fun guide to showing care for creatures in urban environments.
Reviewed by
M. W. Merritt
Disclosure: This article is not an endorsement, but a review. The publisher of this book provided free copies of the book to have their book reviewed by a professional reviewer. No fee was paid by the publisher for this review. Foreword Reviews only recommends books that we love. Foreword Magazine, Inc. is disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255.
