LoveReading Says
At times provocative, often humorous, always fascinating, wander through the life of a rewilder and discover new thoughts forming and a little joy. Derek Gow’s work to save native species and return them to the wild is eye-opening. He writes with a heartfelt yet cheerful abandon, thoughts and feelings spill onto the page and reach out. It feels as though his words are him, you can feel his intense passion for his work. Along the way Derek Gow introduces other passionate leading figures of this world and the various stories had me blurting with laughter. His journey to rewilding his Devon farm has been long and sometimes torturous, particularly when being savaged by somewhat feisty animals and battling the bureaucrats. Working with and saving animals is often painful, there is a stark reality to be found within this book, death is faced head on. If you’re looking for fairytales and sugary sweet happy endings, look elsewhere. If you want to learn, discover, explore, become excited by the possibilities that rewilding offers then you will find plenty on offer. I fell in love with this LoveReading Star Book, these thoughts, this much needed passion for our land and animals. Birds, Beasts and Bedlam is refreshingly bold and filled with gutsy energy, it’s also a hugely inspiring read.
Liz Robinson
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Birds, Beasts and Bedlam Synopsis
'One of the most remarkable figures in British conservation.' Observer
'Gow reinvents what it means to be a guardian of the countryside.' Guardian
'Courageous, visionary, funny.' Isabella Tree
'A brilliant read.' Benedict Macdonald
'He gets stuff done. . . . Highly entertaining but also a heartfelt plea for a wilder, more inspiring Britain.' Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall
Birds, Beasts and Bedlam recounts the adventures of Britain's favourite maverick rewilder, Derek Gow, and his single-minded mission to save our rarest wildlife - one species at a time.
Author of Bringing Back the Beaver and Hunt for the Shadow Wolf, Derek shares his personal, courageous and highly entertaining tales in Birds, Beasts and Bedlam, including how he raised a sofa-loving wild boar piglet, transported a raging bison bull across the UK, got bitten by a Scottish wildcat and, together with Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell, restored the ancient white stork to the pioneering Knepp Estate.
After a Shetland ewe captured his heart as a boy, Derek grew up to become a farmer with a passion for ancient breeds. When he realised how many of our species were close to extinction - even on his own land - Derek tore down fences literally and metaphorically, transforming his traditional Devon farm into a 300-acre rewilding haven for beavers, water voles, lynx, wildcats, harvest mice, wild boar and more. A project that is still ongoing today.
Birds, Beasts and Bedlam continues the rich tradition of great British nature writing and is a natural bedfellow to Gerald Durrell's A Zoo in My Luggage. Passionate, subversive and unforgettable, Birds, Beasts and Bedlam will leave you imagining a rewilded landscape filled with our lost native birds and wildlife.
'A do-er, not a dreamer, Gow has become one of our most outspoken rewilders.' Countryfile Magazine
'In this warm and funny autobiography, [Gow] writes with a whimsical fluency about the moments of humour and pathos in an unusual life.' Country Life
About This Edition
| ISBN: |
9781915294616 |
| Publication date: |
12th September 2024 |
| Author: |
Derek Gow |
| Publisher: |
Chelsea Green Publishing an imprint of Chelsea Green Publishing UK |
| Format: |
Paperback |
| Pagination: |
208 pages |
| Primary Genre |
Lifestyle, Hobbies and Leisure
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| Other Genres: |
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| Recommendations: |
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