Alligators, Raccoons and Other Survivors

The Wildlife of the Future
by Barbara Ford

After reading the weed appreciation book, I was curious about this one that's been sitting on my shelf for months. It's about wildlife species which have remained successful or even increased in number alongside the growth of human populations. There are several reasons posited why these species thrive, including: they are secretive and require little space, they reproduce rapidly, they eat our garbage, or they are protected by man (endangered species like alligators or game animals like whitetail deer). A lot of the information in Alligators, Raccoons and Other Survivors is about wildlife management programs and protection efforts. Animals getting the spotlight here are alligators and coyotes (included in the chapter titled "Weed Animals") but numerous others are mentioned, such as opossums, snowy egrets, red foxes, beavers, mountain goats and harbor seals. I was surprised to learn that herring gulls are protected animals, because in the heyday of feathered women's hats, they were hunted to near extinction. I would have liked to see pigeons included, but I'm sure there's other books that talk about that pervasive creature. Although written for a juvenile audience, this book kept my attention and was quite interesting. It was written twenty-seven years ago; I'd like to read a more current book about the same subject, with more depth and scope.

Rating: 3/5                   160 pages, 1981