One World Publications (2023) 

ISBN: 9780861545575 

Reviewed by Caroline Warnes
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This book is, or should be, a big wake-up call to anyone who hasn’t already realised that Britain’s native mammals are in trouble. This is by no means just a British problem, but, as the authors point out, whilst it is easy to focus on the importance of, for example, saving elephants from extinction in Africa, we also need to look closer to home, where many of our native British mammals are in serious decline. According to the Red List of British Terrestrial Mammals, published in 2020, a quarter of Britain’s 46 native land mammal species are currently threatened with extinction, while 44% of them are officially “at risk”. The reasons for this are numerous but several factors come up again and again: habitat loss, competition from other non-native species and persecution by humans.

Black Ops and Beaver Bombing is written in a humorous, conversational style, making it a relatively easy read, but this does not detract from its serious message about the state of Britain’s native mammals. The text is supported by a comprehensive list of references to relevant studies and other literature. The authors, a married couple, are highly qualified to write this book. Fiona Mathews is currently Professor of Environmental Biology at the University of Sussex, and has held important positions in various organisations including The Mammal Society (UK) and Mammal Conservation Europe.  She advises the government on a range of conservation issues and researched and co-authored the Red List of British Terrestrial Mammals. Tim Kendall, in addition to being professor of English Literature at the University of Exeter, accompanies Fiona on many of her monitoring expeditions. He edited the 2018 Review of British Mammals published by Fiona and her colleagues at the Mammal Society, on which the Red List was based.

Each chapter of the book focuses on one of our native mammal species: beavers, wild boar, pine martens, water voles, greater horseshoe bats, hedgehogs, red squirrels and grey seals. In each case Fiona and Tim, occasionally accompanied by one of their daughters, set out to find the animal in question, sometimes with more success than others.    Along the way we learn a lot about the ethology of the animal in question, how they interact with the environment,  factors that have contributed to their decline and what is, or should be, done to prevent the population from declining further. There are many unexpected and often humorous insights into the lives of some of our native mammals and the rigours associated with both monitoring and supporting them.

In addition, the book looks at many of the wider welfare, ethical and political issues associated with species and habitat conservation. It does not shy away from difficult issues such as potential conflicts between different species, for example the tendency of hedgehogs to kill adders and birds, or between animals and humans. As the authors point out, any reintroduction process must be carefully managed by people with a very good understanding of the wider implications of the reintroduction process for the individual species involved and also any potential positive or negative impacts they may have on the environment and other species.  There are also some interesting insights into the degree of public and governmental support, or otherwise, for various reintroduction or protection schemes.   The book’s title refers to the suspicion that beavers were released illegally into waterways in England while the government were procrastinating about whether or not they should be reintroduced.

Whilst the overall message of the book is worrying, there are some good news stories. Beavers appear to be thriving in the wild, particularly in South West England, and have recently been granted protected status by the government, even though beaver reintroduction programmes are still extremely tightly controlled. After a serious decline, Greater Horseshoe bat numbers are slowly increasing in England, whereas they have become extinct in other parts of Europe. And Grey seals are increasing, particularly along the coast of Eastern England, despite the fact that they are classed as Marine Mammals and therefore not granted the same protections as land-dwelling mammals.  Some of our native species also appear to be fairly adaptable as demonstrated by a thriving colony of water voles alongside the M8 in the East End of Glasgow.

Black Ops and Beaver Bombing provides an entertaining and informative look at some of our native mammalian species as well as the wider issues associated with species conservation in Britain. It should be required reading for anyone with a passing interest in our native wild mammals as well as for those who would like to do more to help with conservation. I particularly hope that it will be read by the politicians and other people who are in a position to make positive changes to reverse the decline of our native mammals.