Shadow of the Bear: Travels in Vanishing Wilderness

In the past year I have read several books concerning the subject matter of bears and Mr. Payton's is not just a good book on bears, it is a well written book period. However, he is passionate about the subject without being overly sentimental. He travels the world seeking out encounters with endangered bears and their disappearing habitat. Many of the stories about bears are not first hand. The narrator is passing some of them along from the people he encounters in his quest. This only lends to the mystique that these creatures have. Brian is also respectful and knowledgable of the different cultures that he encounters, giving the book a very exotic quality. There is enough focus on the bears and their plight to increase one's concern for these animal's and their habitat, which is after all, along with poaching and hunting, one of the biggest problems. If you only read on bear book. Read this one. It should be a classic one day helping to define where we go right or wrong from this point.

I really enjoyed this book and recommend it to others. For the past 10 years I have been involved with a bear education program focusing on the American Black Bear. Black Bears are the one species of bear that can live in close proximity to humans. I have read it more than once and have leant the book to others. Shadow of the Bear brought to light the plight of all bears and the impact it has on our lives. For me it was a quick read and quite informative. The way Mr. Payton told the story it was both entertaining and enlighting. As I read I felt like I was with him through his adventures. As he discussed each species we also learned about the culture of the geographic area where that species can be found. Politics also plays a role in bear survival and how bears are dealt with. Mr Payton demonstrates his book just how much human actions has contributed to the endangerment of wildlife. This book should be read by those interested in bears, travel, environment and life. Hopefully as more read the book, they too will understand the importance of conserving these beautiful animals.

Bears have had many, many books written about them and have been long celebrated: so why the need for yet another? Brian Payton here travels the world in search of the eight remaining bear species, from Asia and Canada to South America. His blend of natural history and travelogue examines human interactions with and beliefs about bears at all levels of society, offering up a warm interaction of bear and human encounters. "Shadow of the Bear" is especially recommended for school and community library Pets & Wildlife collections.

A very entertaining and interesting book on bears. As the owner of a large bear library, I really appreciate when a new bear book comes along that tells me things that I do not know. I was especially fascinated by the sloth bear section. The sloth bear's scientific study pales in comparison to the grizzly or black bear, so I really appreciated Mr. Payton's insight into these sometimes very aggresive and violent bears. The author also did and outstanding job of giving a sense of adventure to the book with great tales from remote parts of the world. On the serious side of things, the author points out correctly, that habitat destruction is the main cause of a decreasing bear population in much of the world, while poaching adds to the losses within some bear populations. Great book and an interesting read!