Beak, Tooth and Claw

‘Provocative, thought provoking and life affirming. Mary Colwell enters a world steeped in blood, much of it on our hands. A masterpiece of Conservation writing’ Sir Tim Smit of the Eden Project

‘This fascinating – and balanced – book wrestles with our confused, paradoxical relationship with predators … and argues that our relationship with them needs to be evaluated within the context of its history’ The Field

‘There are few more fraught topics than the status of Britain’s larger predators … It takes immense courage to be a voice of calm … and once again Mary Colwell has stepped up to the mark. There is much to learn from this book’ BBC Wildlife

‘Colwell seeks to steer those who legally cull predators towards a more thoughtful stance, while urging others to understand why predators have to be managed’ BBC Countryfile magazine

‘This book made me question what I thought that I knew about species ranging from seals to wolves’ BTO magazine

‘An engaging, balanced and wise book on a contested subject … A lesson both in open-mindedness and in sweet reason’ Jeremy Mynott, author of Birdscapes

‘A brave book … that seeks out a fair-minded variety of opinions … thoroughly researched, indexed and annotated … this honest scrutiny of our relationship with middle-sized British predators is timely, informative and necessary’ Juliet Blaxford

Mary Colwell makes programmes for the BBC and the independent sector, mainly on nature and the environment. She recently featured in BBC Wildlife’s UK 50 Top Conservation Heroes awards.