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David Baron
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The Beast in the Garden: A Modern Parable of Man and Nature 1st Edition, Kindle Edition

by David Baron (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 359 ratings
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The true tale of an edenic Rocky Mountain town and what transpired when a predatory species returned to its ancestral home.


When, in the late 1980s, residents of Boulder, Colorado, suddenly began to see mountain lions in their yards, it became clear that the cats had repopulated the land after decades of persecution. Here, in a riveting environmental fable that recalls Peter Benchley's thriller Jaws, journalist David Baron traces the history of the mountain lion and chronicles Boulder's effort to coexist with its new neighbors. A parable for our times, The Beast in the Garden is a scientific detective story and a real-life drama, a tragic tale of the struggle between two highly evolved predators: man and beast.
Previous page
  1. ISBN-13
    978-0393058079
  2. Edition
    1st
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    W. W. Norton & Company
  5. Publication date
    October 4, 2010
  6. Language
    English
  7. File size
    1550 KB
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In 1991, in Idaho Springs, Colo., a small town not far from Boulder, a young jogger was killed and partially eaten by a mountain lion. Although people were horrified, biologist Michael Sanders and naturalist Jim Halfpenny were not surprised. Since 1988 they had been studying the mountain lions that were invading backyards in the Boulder area in increasing numbers and had concluded that, contrary to the accepted wisdom that these lions don't attack people, the big cats were indeed stalking humans in search of a good meal. In an engrossing book that reads like a true crime thriller, Baron, a science and environmental writer, follows the advance of mountain lions around Boulder as if they were serial killers, building tension as he leads up to the killing. There were plenty of warnings. Numerous homeowners saw lions in their yards, dogs were maimed or eaten and a girl was attacked but survived. Sanders and Halfpenny tried to convince the wildlife-loving Boulderites that a tragedy was about to occur, but people believed they could coexist peacefully with the lions, and the Colorado Division of Wildlife was also determined to leave the animals alone. Even after Scott Lancaster, the Idaho Springs jogger, was killed, area residents refused to endorse killing the big cats that moved into their neighborhoods. Baron is not in favor of killing unwanted lions, but in this timely book he warns that as people continue to displace wild animals from their habitats, they have to change the way they interact with them and be more realistic about romantic notions of wilderness. Illus. not seen by PW.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

An award-winning science journalist for National Public Radio, Baron examines the complex relationship between humans and cougars, both in the past, when the predators were nearly hunted into extinction, and in the present, as more homes are built in wilderness areas and more people find themselves face-to-face with predators who not only have no fear of humans but also have discovered in human habitats new sources of food. Baron uses the environmentally sensitive city of Boulder, Colorado, as a microcosm of the cougar-human conflict, which came to a head during the 1980s when mountain lions were killing house pets and threatening children and adults. Although Baron can't resist playing up the sensational aspects of cougar attacks, he does perceptively dissect both sides of the impassioned debate these terrifying confrontations engender, revealing how naive and unrealistic the live-and-let-live approach can be, and how easy it is to take the kill-the-miserable-beasts response to unreasonable extremes. For more on man-eaters, see David Quammen's Monster of God [BKL Jl 03] and Phillip Caputo's Ghosts of Tsavo (2002). Donna Seaman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0044XV6GG
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ W. W. Norton & Company; 1st edition (October 4, 2010)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ October 4, 2010
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1550 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 289 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 359 ratings

About the author

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David Baron

David Baron

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David Baron is an award-winning author, journalist, and broadcaster. A former science correspondent for NPR who served as chair in astrobiology at the Library of Congress, he has traveled to every continent and more than 50 countries for work and pleasure. An avid umbraphile (eclipse chaser), he has witnessed nine total solar eclipses in such disparate locales as Australia, Indonesia, Chile, and the Faroe Islands. David's popular TED Talk on eclipse chasing has received more than 2 million views. He lives in Boulder, Colorado.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
359 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

I Buy Lots of Books
5.0 out of 5 stars Factual and Eye Opening
Reviewed in the United States on February 4, 2024
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Factual, methodical and a good read. Sadly, it shows the many ways the state of Colorado ignored warning signs and a young man was killed by a mountain lion as a result. Colorado is now repeating the reintroduction and mismanagement pattern with wolves.
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Anne Salazar
5.0 out of 5 stars A RIVETING TALE OF A 4-LEGGED SERIAL KILLER
Reviewed in the United States on January 30, 2004
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This book is amazing and riveting in the telling of our encroachment into the territory of wild animals, specifically the cougar, or mountain lion. It is hard to believe that this is the first book by David Baron, because it is everything a book should be: it begins with the heart of the story (the killing of a young runner, probably by a cougar) and then delves into those subjects we never feel we are interested in or can understand, such as science, the natural history of the Wild West, man's insistence on doing what we want, when we want, and living anyplace we choose, and then tells of heart-pounding stalking and serial killer type behavior. Throughout, Baron gives historical retellings of other encounters with mountain lions. The book wraps up as well as this story can be wrapped up, with lose ends flying in the wind as we search for answers to our desire to move into the territory of wild animals. Baron spares no one, including the parents of the young man killed or the Division of Wildlife employees, who in my opinion appear to be worthless.
To compare this story to the book and movie Jaws is right on. However, we have to remember that this is a story about real people and real events and real animals and should be taken seriously since attacks by wild animals on humans seem to be increasing at a high rate. It is amazing to me that some people who had their pet dogs carried off by cougars appear to be more upset than some people whose very lives are affected. To read about these people and their silly ideas and patently absurd notions about moving back to nature is eye-opening. When the west was truly wild, we did not live with these magnificent creatures. We hunted them or stayed out of their way; we did not try to live with them. And we certainly did not think they were cute, cute enough to take their pictures as they lolly-gagged on our patios where our pets and children play.
This book deserves to be a bestseller since it is both a great read and discusses issues of major importance. I hope the publisher and booksellers give this book the attention it so richly deserves. I also hope that Mr. Baron continues with his writing since he has a unique talent of being able to inform without being preachy and at the same time tell a riveting story. It is one of those books that held my attention throughout and that I read slowly so it would not end so quickly. And the ending is fitting to any book about serial killers and the like, which is to say the ending is truly chilling.
21 people found this helpful
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V. J. Verdolini
4.0 out of 5 stars Darwin in Action
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2009
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I just bought the book and am about ¾ of the way through. First, the book is very well written, almost like a well paced detective yarn about a serial killer, but, unlike fiction. The town looks the killer in the face and decides "what problem". I read this as more of a parable of unrepentant stupidity and its inevitable result than a nature story. The city saw the threat and did nothing. The state, for political reasons did nothing. OK, I expect government to be inept, but nothing prepared me for the walking buffet that are the citizens of Boulder simply wringing their hands or embracing the beasties. Darwin's survival of the fittest in action. If the public is too stupid or cowardly to act, they deserve to be lunch. The author speaks of the old west and the new west. This book is proof the new west is too stupid to survive.
3 people found this helpful
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Misty Pedgoogl
5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic awesome incredible book.
Reviewed in the United States on August 3, 2015
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The media could not be loaded.
     I just bought a brand new cabin 45 min SW of Denver in a remote subdivision of homes (on 5 ac. lots) abutting virgin forest and newly acquired state land. I put up a game cam, almost immediately I had bears, raccoons, gray foxes swarming near the camera. But 1 week ago I got video of a long, non-bushy tail with a black tip. The neighbors have warned me about "the cats". Someone recommended this book to me. HOLY COW! My little subdivision is a carbon copy of 1980's Boulder! Deer stroll the roads from house to house eating corn off the raised porches. New houses slowly encroach on virgin wild land filled with boulders and cliffs, ponderosa pines. Lots of athletic people, lots of dogs with flimsy little fences.
Now for the book. I have not finished it yet, but it is honestly one of the best books I've ever read! In the first 3 pages of the book, you see exactly where the story is headed. The character development is amazing. The coverage of all the complex angles of the story is awesome. The author even makes ho-hum Santa Ana winds feel like a key character. Bravo Mr. Baron for a story told exquisitely! But....now I'm having a hard time sleeping at night! Anyone who even likes an occasional vacation in Colorado should read the book.
Ok...just finished the book. In the epilogue an attack is described near Carpenter Peak in Roxborough Park. I solo hike this peak a couple times a year (midweek, when no one is around!). About a year ago I discovered light-colored scat in the middle of the high trail, looked it up online, and id'd it as lion scat. I didn't really take it seriously, but I sure will now. Great book. 11/2015 update: here's video of my lion visitor. 12/15, 3 weeks later here's another lion video
25 people found this helpful
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Mr. Man
5.0 out of 5 stars Intense, well written, reads like a novel more than a non-fiction!
Reviewed in the United States on April 28, 2023
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I really loved this book, the author did a fantastic job of telling the story in an engaging way. And I learned a lot about the history of the Division of Wildlife in Boulder County, and some new things about mountain lion behavior. It did not allay my instinctive fear of lions...
One person found this helpful
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Amazon Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Great personal stories
Reviewed in the United States on December 27, 2022
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Really enjoyed reading this book and hearing about the personal accounts from so many. Living on the Front Range, I am familiar with all of the places mentioned and that makes it even more enthralling. At the end of the day, this book is a great example of how we as humans must adapt to living with the original inhabitants of this land as we encroach on their habitat. Great read, well written, love hearing stories from different viewpoints. Would recommend.
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Amitabha Sanyal
4.0 out of 5 stars The book
Reviewed in India on February 26, 2023
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Good book
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Amanda
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in Canada on May 9, 2017
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Great book engrossing story I couldn't put it down until I was done, highly recommended:) excellent story , very good
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L. Phillips
5.0 out of 5 stars When green politics meet red in tooth and claw.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on June 6, 2017
Verified Purchase
The Beast in the Garden by David Baron has long been a favourite of mine. This is my second copy, having worn the first one through with constant revisits. An investigative exploration of the circumstances that led to the first adult human death from a mountain lion attack in over a century, it is a haunting and spine-chilling warning of our inability to respect the wild.

Baron expertly walks us through the sequence of events that resulted in what, for some, was the inevitable conclusion. We are introduced to Boulder, Colorado, in the late 80s and early 90s. We see its liberal political tendencies, its inclination towards nature, its protective tendencies to green spaces, and the people feeding and protecting the huge deer herd the non-hunting community harbours. We also learn of the falsehood underneath it all, of invasive species of plant, and water piped in from out of state to keep the green spaces green.

The story reads like a thriller. Shadows crossing roads in the middle of the night. Muffled rustlings and thumps on rear porches and verandas. And then...people's pets start showing up with strange wounds, or not showing up at all. The deer, the false wilderness...it all has attracted something truly wild. The cougar - the mountain lion, has moved into the suburbs.

As Division of Wildlife officials dismiss the concerns of the community and wildlife experts, a community famed for its non-hunting stance begins to question its principles. Pet and livestock attacks increase. Sightings increase. Then, as a new generation of lions descends on the town, they show they have fully adapted to their new environment. They hunt during the day, and they show no fear of humans. Little does Boulder know that it has reached a crisis point.

Baron introduces us not just to the events, but also the people who play such significant roles in the story. His journalistic background is revealed as the facts, and differing viewpoints, are collated and presented for the reader to make up their own mind. Baron deals with a fair hand, and with neutrality, as we read the story. The odd journalistic flair-up of sensationalism doesn't hinder the facts, and aids the pace of the narrative. We have the opportunity to explore the historic record, and contemplate the bigger picture by doing so.

For anyone interested in our relationship with predators, wildlife management, eco-politics, or just looking for a quality, intriguing read, I can't recommend this book enough.
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