Hunter and Hunted
Relationships between Carnivores and People

A fascinating popular account of the intricate relationships between meat-eaters and humankind.

Hans Kruuk (Author), Diana E. Brown (Illustrated by)

9780521891097, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 5 September 2002

264 pages, 30 b/w illus.
22.9 x 15.3 x 1.6 cm, 0.452 kg

'This is a highly readable book, delightfully illustrated with Diana Brown's drawings, and deserves a wide readership … highly recommended …'. British Wildlife

Humans have mixed emotions concerning carnivores. We admire them as beautiful hunters, cosset them as pets, and use their pelts and other products in clothing, medicines and cosmetics. However, they are also responsible for killing us and our livestock, carry disease and compete with us for space and food. While some advocate the conservation of predators such as wolves and tigers, others see them as vermin and want them gone. In this book, Hans Kruuk, a life-long naturalist with a passion for predators tells the fascinating story of carnivores and our intricate relationships with them. Illustrated with specially commissioned drawings, it deals with the wild beauty of carnivores and their conservation, but also with furs and medicine, man-eaters and sheep-killers, explaining in simple terms what the role of carnivores is in nature, how this impacts on human lives, our art and literature, how we instinctively respond to them and why.

Preface
1. Turning the other cheek
2. Carnivore society: hermits and communes
3. The quarry of the hunter
4. Man the hunted
5. Competitors and carriers
6. History of a conflict
7. What is the use? 8. Wolves with human souls: pets
9. Carnivores and neighbours: effects on prey
10. Crying wolf: anti-predator behaviour
11. Carnivores in culture
12. The future
Epilogue
References.

Subject Areas: Environmental science, engineering & technology [TQ], Zoology: Vertebrates [PSVW], Animal ecology [PSVS], Animal behaviour [PSVP], Zoology & animal sciences [PSV], Ecological science, the Biosphere [PSAF], Popular science [PDZ]