The Hunt for the Golden Mole

Praise

“Though Girling presents a sobering assessment of the state of the world’s fauna, he does so with the dramatic flair of a novelist and eye for detail of a travel journalist. The result is a page–turning, thought–provoking treatise on a desperate environmental crisis.” —Booklist, Starred

“The Hunt for the Golden Mole is…an informed and informative, provocative and rousing work. Exploring the startling changes in our attitudes to exotic and extraordinary animals over the past 200 years, and surveying the current scene – notably the mass slaughter of elephants in Africa, and such heroic projects as Edge of Existence, which works to protect endangered species – Girling brings passion to vital issues, and may help move at least a few readers to action.” —The Telegraph

“This is a book that bursts into life from the first page. Part memoir, and part survey of a bewildering variety of animal species, Richard Girling’s rousing, fascinating study takes the reader on a romp down the corridors of museums and zoos, into previous centuries and back again, and in and out of the lives of extraordinary and flamboyant characters: hunters, trappers, scientists and circusmen.”— The Sunday Times

“The Hunt for the Golden Mole is an engaging story which illustrates the importance of every living creature, no matter how small, strange or rare. It is a thoughtful, shocking, inspiring and important book.” —The Guardian

“That rarest of delights: a roaring book of huge importance written by a master storyteller exploring our fragile relationship with the animal kingdom, offering insights into how a hopeful future could yet be snatched from the jaws of despair. Not a hint of preaching, not a whiff of worthiness. A great story written not by an idealist but by a pragmatist with a heart of gold with a clear eyed view of the world.” Sir Tim Smit

“I loved this book. This is natural history at its funniest, most curious, enlightening and heartfelt. I couldn’t put it down. It was like going on safari with Gerald Durrell, Rachel Carson and Redmond O’ Hanlon … I was alternately wide–eyed with wonder, appalled and then tickled to laughter. It’s beautifully written. And it’s powerful. An elegy to every living thing on this remarkable planet. Impossible to finish without being uplifted by the wonder of the natural world and driven to do something about its plight.” Nicholas Crane