Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law

A 5 star book that takes an around-the-world look at the crossroads where humans and animals meet. And when they do meet, the erratic, often unforeseeable, things that happen. ”For most of the past century, your odds of being killed by a cougar were about the same as your odds of being killed by a filing cabinet. Snowplows kill twice as many Canadians as grizzly bears do.” We don’t outlaw snowplows, or filing cabinets. What are we to do about the “wildlife problem”? “The black bear is a ridiculously lovable species. There's a reason kids have teddy bears, not teddy goats or teddy eels.”Science writer Mary Roach takes a deep dive into the human-animal conundrum. What do we do when grizzly bears are breaking into homes - and refrigerators? Seagulls are uprooting pots of flowers and randomly scattering the floral displays meant or the Pope’s Easter mass? Sacred monkeys terrorize Indian citizens?“I can’t judge” says Roach. "We all have emotional connections to certain branches of the tree of life, and for some that branch is trees. We are irrational in our species-specific devotions. I know a man who won’t eat octopus because of its intelligence. Yet he eats pork and buys glue traps for rats, though rats and pigs are highly intelligent, likely more intelligent—I’m guessing, for I have not seen the SAT scores—than octopuses. Why, for that matter, is intelligence the scale by which we decide whom to spare? Or size? Have the simple and the small less right to live?”Roach’s books are informative and engaging. Combining a brief outline of the facts with the details of the problem, including moral quandaries, etc. and information on ideas that have previously been or yet-to-be been tried, her humorous tongue-in-cheek style of writing make this book a delight to read. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ I have read several other books by Roach, Fuzz is my favorite thus far.

Very much enjoyed this authors sense of humor while covering a subject that is important to our planet. Looking forward to reading more of her books.

FUZZ was a book club selection chosen by another member. I probably never would have discovered this book without the recommend and I'm glad I did. It was a fun and informing read leaving a person with much food for thought.

I enjoyed this while traveling. Each chapter stood by itself and was most entertaining and educational. The strong stomach helps with the descriptions of murders and killings…

In her typical wry manner, Mary Roach addresses a serious topic in her latest book: Can humans and wildlife coexist? Man has continued to encroach on the natural homes of wildlife resulting in not only the destruction of their homes, but also the diminution of their natural food sources. This has been and continues to be a major problem for farmers and ranchers worldwide, but now wildlife also feeds on the garbage that humans create in cities, subburbs and camp sites. Some of this wildlife can be dangerous like hungry black and brown bears in Colorado or free roaming male elephants in India.Culling of invasive wildlife may actually result in an increase in their population. Use of fungicides, insecticides and pesticides, may kill more than the intended target. Introduction of non-native predators, may upset the natural balance of native species. Erecting "deer crossing" signs does not reduce motor vehilce accidents with white tails, elk and moose on highhways parituclarly when vehicles are traveling 65+ mph. There are ways to adapt vehicles to prevent some of these usually dusk or dawn accidents. Passing legislation for waste disposal may decrease urban ursine foraging for a while, but these laws are impossible to enforce. Scariest of all, is the use of Genetic Bio-Control of Invasive Rodents being used on wild mice in island habitats. What happens if these genetically altered mice make it off the island or breed with other mice? Jane Goodall warns strict guidelines are needed if genetic engineering techniques for wildlife control become widespread.The author goes to places the reader may not have known and asks questsions the reader may have thought of, but dared not ask. Indeed, It takes guts to inquire of the director of Gardens and Garbage of the Pontifical Academy for Life in Vatican City how the rat population is controled. There are, unfortunately, no easy solutions nor one size fits all for the many situations presented. Somehow the suggestions of coexistence, acceptance and resignation seem unsatisfying. This work, however, is important for presenting the breadth of the problem. Our behaviors in how we interact with wildlife can either elevate or reduce the dilemmas created in human/wildlife coexistence.

Very well written. Many examples of problems humans encounter dealing with nature and how we usually mess it up when we try to solve them.

Mary Roach is one of my favorite authors because she digs into normally untouched subjects and investigates, and then writes with eloquence about those subjects. Here she approaches wild animals that do now want to be told what to do or how to do it.For instance, monkeys are a huge problem in India. What do you do to control them when the public hates them and wants you to control them, but they are also considered sacred. Killing them off isn't the answer, so let's look at birth control. Humorous you think, but it might just be the way to create a less harmful group of monkeys. However, because the monkeys are wild, you can't use any stitches which they would pull out. To find the really answer, you have to read the book.Throughout the book she looks at a number of species that present this unusual problem. Some solutions, such as topping of dead tress is pretty easy (comparatively speaking) but others are much more dangerous and difficult to control. Take elephants, for instance. You have food, they want the food and nobody with a brain is going to tell the elephant no. So how do you keep them from tipping over a mud house looking for the food?There are numerous other animals explored and problems as well, but the book reads almost like a novel and is delightful in the detail it provides. I would recommend this to anyone with even a mild interest in wild animals or places.

Even mediocre Mary Roach is better than most books

There are a ton of very interesting facts in this book. The best part is that they are presented clearly and with humor. I was drawn in by the author's unique style and stayed for the interest level. Well done!