Overview

No group of wild mammals so universally captures the emotions of people world-wide than do wild canids. That emotion can be enchantment and fascination, but it can also be loathing, because the opportunism that is the hallmark of the dog family also leads them into conflict with humans. In the developed world at least, the fascination with wild canids doubtless stems from people's captivation with domestic dogs - everybody feels they are an expert on canids! While most people may be familiar with only the better known members of the dog family, such as the grey wolf and the red fox, there are in fact 36 species of wolves, dogs, jackals and foxes. They attract hugely disproportionate interest from academics, conservationists, veterinarians, wildlife managers and the general public. This book brings together in single volume an astonishing synthesis of research done in the last twenty years and is the first truly compendious synthesis on wild canids. Beginning with a complete account of all 36 canid species, there follow six review chapters that emphasise topics most relevant to canid conservation science, including evolution and systematics, behavioural ecology, population genetics, diseases, conflict/control of troublesome species, and conservation tools. Fifteen detailed case studies then delve deeply into the very best species investigations currently available written by all the leading figures in the field. Much of the material is previously unpublished and will make fascinating reading far beyond the confines of canid specialists. These chapters portray the unique attributes of wild canids, their fascinating (and conflictive) relationship with man, and suggestions for future research and conservation measures for the Canidae. While most canid species are widespread and thrive in human dominated landscapes, several are in severe jeopardy; habitat loss, illegal hunting, persecution by farmers and disease all imperil dwindling populations. A final chapter analyses the requirements of, and approaches to, practical conservation, with lessons that go far beyond the dog family. It concentrates particular attention on priorities for the protection of the most threatened canid species, including the red wolf, African wild dog, Ethiopian wolf, Island fox and Darwin's fox. The wild canids provide examples that will thrill the evolutionary biologists and theoretician, enthral the natural historian and challenge the conservationist and wildlife manager. Anybody interested in evolutionary and behavioural biology, in mammals, in the environment, or in conservation will find much that is new and enriching in this book.

Full Product Details

Author:   David W. Macdonald (, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford) ,  Claudio Sillero-Zubiri (, Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 19.60cm , Height: 2.90cm , Length: 25.40cm
Weight:   1.166kg
ISBN:  

9780198515555

ISBN 10:   0198515553
Pages:   464
Publication Date:   01 July 2004
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Hardback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   Out of stock  

Table of Contents

Part I Reviews: 1: Macdonald & Sillero-Zubiri: Dramatis personae 2: Wang, Tedford, Van Valkenburgh & Wayne: Ancestry 3: Wayne, Geffen & Vila: Population genetics 4: Macdonald, Creel & G. Mills: Society 5: Sillero-Zubiri, Reynolds & Novaro: Management 6: Woodroffe, Cleaveland, Courtenay, Laurenson & Artois: Infectious disease 7: Boitani, Asa & Moehrenschlager: Tools Part II Case Studies 8: Angerbjorn, Hersteinsson & Tannerfeldt: Arctic foxes 9: Roemer: Island foxes 10: Moehrenschlager, Cypher, Ralls, List & Sovada: Swift foxes 11: Geffen: Blanford's foxes 12: Baker & Harris: Red foxes 13: Kauhala & Saeki: Raccoon dogs 14: Maas & Macdonald: Bat-eared foxes 15: Novaro, Funes & Jimenez: Patagonian foxes 16: Macdonald, Loveridge & Atkinson: Jackals 17: Gese: Coyotes 18: Vucetich & Peterson: Grey wolves -- Isle Royale 19: Phillips, Bangs, Mech, Kelly & Fazio: Grey wolves -- Yellowstone 20: Sillero-Zubiri, Marino, Gottelli & Macdonald: Ethiopian wolves 21: Venkataraman & Johnsingh: Dholes 22: Creel, M. Mills & McNutt: African wild dogs Conclusions 23: Macdonald & Sillero-Zubiri: Conservation References

Reviews

As would be expected from such a renowned academic stable, this book represents another first class, definitive publication in their ever-growing list of 'must have' publications. It is exceptionally well researched and well presented throughout, although it is certainly not a coffee table book, and is edited by two of Euorpe's leading canid workers. The London Naturalist, No.84, 2005

Author Information

David W. Macdonald is the Director of Oxford University's Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU); and Senior Research Fellow at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford. He is also A.D. White Professor at Cornell University, New York, USA. He is on the Council of English Nature, is Vice President (and Council member) of Zoological Society of London, is Vice President of the Wildlife Trusts and of the RSPCA. Originally his thesis was on a wild canid, the red fox, and that work won the ZSL's Huxley Medal. He is also the Chair of the IUCN Canid Specialist Group. Claudio Sillero-Zubiri is one of WildCRU's longest-serving conservation biologists. He is also the Deputy Chair of the IUCN Canid Specialist Group and received the Royal Geographical Society's Whitley Award for his work protecting the endangered Ethiopian Wolf.

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