...[a] slim, enchanting new book ... throughout, Brand’s enthusiasm for foxes is brightly infectious. She’s a keen appreciator of the wonder these animals carry around with them. 'Upon seeing a fox,; she rightly observes, 'many people are not sure what to say.'
Brand, a professional ecologist, loves foxes. That’s foxes, the out-of-control urban menace that, when not having noisy sex, spread disease, murder cats and attack babies. Except, argues Brand, they do not. She has written a lovely little book in the animal’s defence. Quietly lyrical, often funny and gently persuasive, The Hidden World of the Fox is the ideal ironic stocking-filler for the sleep-deprived anti-vulpinist in your life ... Brand’s book breezily shatters vulpine myths. Sheep spread more disease. Foxes are small, weighing less than the average pet cat, with not terribly effectively teeth and jaws. Yes, foxes were eventually fingered in the case of the Croydon cat killer — but they were pulling the cats apart only after they had been hit by cars. Tiddles, rest assured, is safe.
Brand clearly loves foxes and has devoted much of her life to studying them ... Brand’s philosophy comes down to live and let live; we should keep our impact and influence on the fox as light as possible, and the fox in turn will likely have negligible impact on us ... A pleasant nature book that provides everything you ever wanted to know about the fox.
Mammal ecologist Brand offers a spirited look at the red fox in this smart and accessible volume ... Thanks to this mix of biology, personal history, and pop culture, Brand’s readers will be left both entertained and better informed about 'this small, curious member of the dog family.'
