A collection of intriguing material presented unevenly.
A medley of anecdotes about animal behavior.
Can dolphins think strategically? To answer that question, Brensing, a German biologist and behavioral scientist who has written multiple books about the wonders of animal life, shares the following anecdote: Kelly, a dolphin at the Mississippi-based Institute for Marine Mammal Studies, was trained to collect pieces of litter in her pool and exchange them with her trainer for fish. “One day,” writes the author, “rather than bringing it to the trainer, Kelly chose to hide a little scrap of paper she had found, possibly because she wasn’t particularly hungry” at that moment. More spectacularly, once Kelly decided to exchange her paper for fish, she first tore it into several smaller pieces, so that she could receive a fish for each piece. Brensing’s point is clear: Yes, dolphins can strategize, and they also demonstrate a vast range of eye-opening abilities—as do countless other animals. The book is a compendium of fascinating information, but the narrative is scattershot and sometimes overly conversational (“Crazy, isn’t it?”). The author’s tendency to energetically jump from topic to topic—Ants can recognize themselves in a mirror! Dogs play games organized by a few polite rules! Masturbation is “widespread in the animal kingdom”—makes for dizzying reading. Furthermore, Brensing often dumbs down his explanations to the point that some of them no longer make sense. “In order to make this experiment comprehensible,” he writes in his discussion of mouse memory, “I need to grossly simplify something that is extremely complex and draw a somewhat dodgy analogy.” Many readers will wonder why. The best science writers describe complex subjects to lay audiences without resorting to “dodgy analogies.” Perhaps Brensing should have had a bit more faith in his readers; he might have ended up with a more satisfying book. Often marred by oversimplifications, the narrative would have benefited from a tighter focus.
A collection of intriguing material presented unevenly.Pub Date: Oct. 6, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-64313-554-0
Page Count: 384
Publisher: Pegasus
Review Posted Online: July 21, 2020
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2020
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.
A charming bird journey with the bestselling author.
In his introduction to Tan’s “nature journal,” David Allen Sibley, the acclaimed ornithologist, nails the spirit of this book: a “collection of delightfully quirky, thoughtful, and personal observations of birds in sketches and words.” For years, Tan has looked out on her California backyard “paradise”—oaks, periwinkle vines, birch, Japanese maple, fuchsia shrubs—observing more than 60 species of birds, and she fashions her findings into delightful and approachable journal excerpts, accompanied by her gorgeous color sketches. As the entries—“a record of my life”—move along, the author becomes more adept at identifying and capturing them with words and pencils. Her first entry is September 16, 2017: Shortly after putting up hummingbird feeders, one of the tiny, delicate creatures landed on her hand and fed. “We have a relationship,” she writes. “I am in love.” By August 2018, her backyard “has become a menagerie of fledglings…all learning to fly.” Day by day, she has continued to learn more about the birds, their activities, and how she should relate to them; she also admits mistakes when they occur. In December 2018, she was excited to observe a Townsend’s Warbler—“Omigod! It’s looking at me. Displeased expression.” Battling pesky squirrels, Tan deployed Hot Pepper Suet to keep them away, and she deterred crows by hanging a fake one upside down. The author also declared war on outdoor cats when she learned they kill more than 1 billion birds per year. In May 2019, she notes that she spends $250 per month on beetle larvae. In June 2019, she confesses “spending more hours a day staring at birds than writing. How can I not?” Her last entry, on December 15, 2022, celebrates when an eating bird pauses, “looks and acknowledges I am there.”
An ebullient nature lover’s paean to birds.Pub Date: April 23, 2024
ISBN: 9780593536131
Page Count: 320
Publisher: Knopf
Review Posted Online: Jan. 19, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2024
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
SEEN & HEARD
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.
The third volume in the Elephant Whisperer series.
In this follow-up to An Elephant in My Kitchen, Malby-Anthony continues her loving portrait of the Thula Thula wildlife reserve, which she co-founded in 1998 with her late husband, South African conservationist Lawrence Anthony, who published the first book in the series, The Elephant Whisperer, in 2009. Following his death in 2012, Malby-Anthony sought to honor his legacy by continuing his vision “to create a massive conservancy in Zululand, incorporating our land and other small farms and community land into one great big game park.” At the same time, the elephants gave her “a sense of purpose and direction.” In the Zulu language, thula means quiet, and though the author consistently seeks to provide that calm to her charges, peace and tranquility are not always easy to come by at Thula Thula. In this installment, Malby-Anthony discusses many of the challenges faced by her and her staff, particularly during the Covid-19 pandemic. These included an aggressive, 2-ton rhino named Thabo; the profound loss felt by all upon the death of their elephant matriarch, Frankie; difficulty obtaining permits and the related risk of having to relocate or cull some of their animals; the fear of looting and fire due to civil unrest in the region; and the ongoing and potentially deadly struggles with poachers. Throughout, the author also shares many warm, lighthearted moments, demonstrating the deep bond felt among the humans and animals at the reserve and the powerful effects of the kindness of strangers. “We are all working in unity for the greater good, for the betterment of Thula Thula and all our wildlife….We are humbled by the generosity and love, both from our guests and friends, and from strangers all around the world,” writes the author. “People’s open-hearted support kept us alive in the darkest times.”
A heartwarming and inspiring story for animal lovers.Pub Date: April 25, 2023
ISBN: 9781250284259
Page Count: 320
Publisher: St. Martin's
Review Posted Online: Feb. 22, 2023
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 2023
BOOK REVIEW
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