Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law

Mary Roach investigates human-wildlife conflict, exploring what happens when animals and humans clash. Historically, animals that broke the law were tried in court; today, science offers better answers through the study of human-wildlife conflict, which combines human behavior and wildlife biology. Roach accompanies animal-attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and other professionals working in the field. Her travels take her from leopard-affected villages in the Indian Himalaya to St. Peter's Square in Rome, where she observes efforts to prevent gulls from damaging Easter floral displays. She participates in various wildlife management activities, including testing rat bait and learning about vulture effigies. The book draws on forensic science and conservation genetics while documenting unconventional solutions involving laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and other methods. Roach examines how humans often create wildlife problems and must also solve them, suggesting that compassionate coexistence is possible as human habitats expand.