num_pages: 272
description: A global exploration of the eight remaining species of bearsand the dangers they face. SUPERB[EIGHT BEARS] IS A WINNING COMBINATION OF TRAVEL AND ENVIRONMENTAL REPORTING.. - Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)Bears have always held a central place in our collective memory from Indigenous folklore and Greek mythology to nineteenth-century fairytales and the modern toy shop. But as humans and bears come into ever-closer contact our relationship nears a tipping point. Today most of the eight remaining bear species are threatened with extinction. Some such as the panda bear and the polar bear are icons of the natural world; others such as the spectacled bear and the sloth bear are far less known. In Eight Bears  journalist Gloria Dickie embarks on a globe-trotting journey to explore each bears story whisking readers from the cloud forests of the Andes to the ice floes of the Arctic; from the jungles of India to the backwoods of the Rocky Mountain West. She meets with key figures on the frontlines of modern conservation effortsthe head of a rescue center for sun and moon bears freed from bile farms a biologist known as Papa Panda who has led Chinas panda-breeding efforts for almost four decades a conservationist retraining a military radar system to detect and track polar bears near townsto reveal the unparalleled challenges bears face as they contend with a rapidly changing climate and encroaching human populations. Weaving together ecology history mythology and a captivating account of her travels and observations Dickie offers a closer look at our volatile relationship with these magnificent mammals. Engrossing and deeply reported Eight Bears delivers a clear warning for what we risk losing if we dont learn to live alongside the animals that have shaped our cultures geographies and stories. 8 illustrations; 2 maps
language: English
title: Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future
publisher: W. W. Norton & Company