The Endangered Kingdom
The Struggle to Save America's Wildlife

Publisher:  Wiley Science Editions, New York, USA
Year Published:  1989
Pages:  241pp   Price:  $27.95   ISBN:  0-471-60600-6
Library of Congress Number:  QL84.2.D57   Dewey:  333.95'413'0973
Resource Type:  Book
Cx Number:  CX4292

Abstract: 
The Endangered Kingdom surveys the philosophy, the methodology, and the successes and failures of American wildlife management policies. It charts the plight of such animals as the gray wolf, the pronghorn antelope, the bowhead whale, the North American deer, migratory birds, bats, and the river otter. It discusses where these species are in jeopardy and describes our efforts to save and protect them.
One chapter discusses the state of the grizzly bear. Disilvestro relates the original citings of the grizzly and analyzes civilization's role in its decline over the decades: "Of thirty-four grizzlies under biological study that died from 1975 to 1983, three died from natural causes and one from unknown causes. The other thirty deaths were caused by humans." Oil, gas and mineral exploration, roads, logging, and livestock grazing are among some of the factors cited by the author as contributing to the grizzly's demise in the lower 48 states. Disilvestro also discusses the efforts made by conservationists to enforce positive legislation. The chapter ends, "Survival for the grizzly bear depends on those who do not want an entire continent made commonplace and tame. Only if untroubled wilderness is eternally preserved will future generations see such living monuments of a pristine North America as the grizzly bear."