Listening to Cougar
- 224 Seiten
- 8 Lesestunden
This spellbinding tribute to Puma concolor honors the big cat's presence on the land and in our psyches. In some essays, the puma appears front and center: a lion leaps over Rick Bass's feet, hurtles off a cliff in front of J. Frank Dobie, gazes at Julia Corbett during meditation, and emerges from the fog close enough for poet Gary Gildner to touch. Marc Bekoff opens his car door for a dog that turns out to be a lion. Other works evoke lions indirectly, with biologists describing cougar ecology, including its rugged habitat and territorial struggles. Conservationists discuss the political history of America’s greatest cat. Short stories and essays reflect on lions' significance to people, exploring accidental encounters, dreams, Navajo beliefs, guided hunts, and the vital role mountain lions play as symbols of power and wildness. Contributors include Rick Bass, Marc Bekoff, Julia B. Corbett, Gary Gildner, and many others. Bekoff, a professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology, has published twenty books, including The Emotional Lives of Animals. Writer and photographer Cara Blessley Lowe is co-founder of The Cougar Fund. BK Loren emphasizes the importance of large predators, stating that losing them means sacrificing strength, wildness, beauty, and awe. The foreword is by Jane Goodall.