In Tenacious Beasts, author Christopher Preston presents an inspiring look at species that are defying the odds and teaching important lessons about how to share a planet
The news about wildlife conservation is dire—but against this bleak backdrop, there are also glimmers of hope and crucial lessons to be learned from animals that have defied global trends toward extinction: bears in Italy, bison in North America, whales in the Atlantic. These populations are back from the brink, some of them in numbers unimaginable in a century.
But how did this happen? What shifts in thinking did it demand? In crisp, transporting prose, Christopher Preston reveals the mysteries and challenges at the heart of these resurgences in his book Tenacious Beasts.
Drawing on compelling personal stories from the researchers, Indigenous people, and activists who know the creatures best, Preston weaves together a gripping narrative of how some species are taking back vital, ecological roles. Each section of the book—farms, prairies, rivers, forests, oceans—offers a philosophical shift in how humans ought to think about animals, passionately advocating for the changes in attitude necessary for wildlife recovery.
“Emboldened foxes and fjords full of whales tell us something,” Preston writes. “The recoveries create glimmers of hope and bring complicated challenges. We need, in short, a new way to think about animals.”
While Tenacious Beasts does tell a story of hope, Preston does not delude readers into believing that the situation isn’t urgent. Amongst the shocking statistics shared in the book, Preston writes:
- Over the last century, wildlife populations have declined 20 percent.
- Since industrialization, over 900 species have become extinct.
- Currently, at least a million species are threatened with extinction—many of those having less than a thousand individual specimens currently on the planet.
“The collapse is almost certain to get worse,” he adds. “The signs of human dominance are everywhere.”
We see the signs in changing land (three-quarters of ice-free land and two-thirds of the oceans have been transformed by human activities); we see them in reallocations of resources (seventy percent of the world’s fresh water is devoted to crop and livestock production); and we see them in rapid loss of those resources (soil is eroding one hundred times faster than it is being built).
Still, there is hope for a future where humans and animals can once again coexist. The path there will not be easy, but Preston urges readers to be optimistic. “As earth has done repeatedly in the past,“ he predicts, ”life will bounce back.”
Tenacious Beasts in the media:
- An excerpt about the genetic composition of Bison in the American Great Plains appeared in The Wall Street Journal:
Bringing Back Bison Is a Genetic Challenge - The BBC Future published an excerpt from Tenacious Beasts on the booming return of Alaskan sea otters:
The far-reaching influence of Alaska’s sea otters - Geographical reviewed Tenacious Beasts, which it calls “fascinating and uplifting”:
Tenacious beasts: The philosophical complexities of wildlife conservation - Library Journal published a starred review of the book, and wrote that it “makes for an excellent recommendation to readers searching for thoughtful but hopeful books on the future of nature”:
Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think About Animals - Salon published an excerpt from the book about barred and spotted owls:
Professional “owl terrorists” scare off barred owls with shotguns in the name of conservation - Kirkus Reviews gave Tenacious Beasts a star in its review, and called it “inspiring”:
Tenacious Beasts - An excerpt from Tenacious Beasts appeared in LitHub about the resurgence of whales:
How the Resurgence of Whale Populations Impacts Our Ecosystem - An interview with Preston on topics ranging from the return of Pacific salmon to Italian grizzly bears appeared in The Missoulian:
Q&A: UM professor explores rewilding in new book - Tenacious Beasts “will hearten nature lovers,” Publishers Weekly writes:
Tenacious Beasts: Wildlife Recoveries That Change How We Think About Animals - Foreword Reviews praised the book and called it “a heartening roster of rewilding projects and spontaneous wildlife recoveries”:
Tenacious Beasts - “In the midst of ecological crisis, Preston brings genuinely good news: a few of our fellow species are not only thriving, but demanding that we do better by the rest of life on Earth.”
—Michelle Nijhuis, author of Beloved Beasts