In this well-written volume of natural history, Chadwick, a wildlife biologist and author of The Fate of the Elephant, turns his attention to the precarious future of the grizzly bear. These large mammals are on the list of endangered species in the lower 48 states. As wild land dwindles, grizzlies, who need to consume 20,000–30,000 calories daily in autumn to get them through a winter of hibernation, have encroached on human territory, helping themselves to quick meals from garbage cans, birdfeeders, bags of dog food and livestock feed. Portrayed in legend as exceptionally dangerous, grizzlies, Chadwick explains (trying to draw a more complex portrait), have had their numbers drastically reduced by hunters, frightened landowners and collisions with trains and cars. In order to discourage grizzlies from coming too close to homes in northwestern Montana, where they could endanger residents, a team of wildlife managers has been educating, capturing and moving these trespassers further into the wilderness using Karelians (bear dogs from Finland), rubber bullets, darts and chemical repellents. Chadwick traveled with the team and creatively describes the individual histories and distinctive personalities of the grizzlies he observed. While a bear named Stahr could not be dissuaded from raiding human food and will have to spend the rest of her life in captivity, Dakota and her cubs learned not to be so visible and were able to successfully hibernate. In the end, this is a fascinating look at part of the quickly disappearing natural world. B&w photos. (Sept.)
