WILD NIGHTS by Anne Matthews
Nature Returns to the City
North Print Press  - 2001
ISBN: 0865475601 - Hardcover
Nature / Ecology

Reviewed by Jo Rogers, MyShelf.com
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WILD NIGHTS is a most interesting and thought-provoking book. It chronicles the development history of New York City, Manhattan in particular.  It studies how the city pushed back the wilderness, the species of animals and plants that were no longer seen in the city, and the fact that some wildlife is returning, including some of the larger animals. It seems nature will be pushed back only so far, before it begins to retaliate.

Also discussed are several possible futures for Greater New York, and none of them seem promising.  Global warming, if it continues, will drown it. If it doesn't continue, the area will likely be crushed in a new ice age. That is, of course presuming it isn't destroyed by fire or earthquake first.  Both of those are very real possibilities, since skyscrapers dominate the skyline. When your island is full of buildings, the only way to go is up.

Why should we be concerned? The things that occur in New York are a portent of the future for all of our large cities.  Deer, coyotes, raccoons, foxes, falcons, and even black bears have been seen in residential neighborhoods.  This poses a danger to both man and beast. Wild animals can do a lot of damage to property, especially the larger ones.  The black bears can also threaten human life. There is also the threat of diseases carried by wild animals that domesticated animals do not have.

Does this mean we need to get rid of the animals? God forbid, for we cannot exist without them.  But if we do not control our numbers, and nature decides to push back, can mankind survive? WILD NIGHTS will definitely make you think before you have that next child or drill for oil in nature's back yard.

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