{"product_id":"9781324086994-retail-eight-bears-mythic-past-and-imperiled-future","title":"Eight Bears: Mythic Past and Imperiled Future","description":"Bears have always held a central place in our collective memory, from Indigenous folklore and Greek mythology to nineteenth-century fairytales and the modern toy shop. But as humans and bears come into ever-closer contact, our relationship nears a tipping point. Today, most of the eight remaining bear species are threatened with extinction. Some, such as the panda bear and the polar bear, are icons of the natural world; others, such as the spectacled bear and the sloth bear, are far less known.  In  Eight Bears , journalist Gloria Dickie embarks on a globe-trotting journey to explore each bear's story, whisking readers from the cloud forests of the Andes to the ice floes of the Arctic; from the jungles of India to the backwoods of the Rocky Mountain West. She meets with key figures on the frontlines of modern conservation efforts-the head of a rescue center for sun and moon bears freed from bile farms, a biologist known as Papa Panda, who has led China's panda-breeding efforts for almost four decades, a conservationist retraining a military radar system to detect and track polar bears near towns-to reveal the unparalleled challenges bears face as they contend with a rapidly changing climate and encroaching human populations.  Weaving together ecology, history, mythology, and a captivating account of her travels and observations, Dickie offers a closer look at our volatile relationship with these magnificent mammals. Engrossing and deeply reported,  Eight Bears  delivers a clear warning for what we risk losing if we don't learn to live alongside the animals that have shaped our cultures, geographies, and stories.","brand":"Book Grocer","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48573799334107,"sku":"9781324086994-RETAIL","price":28.01,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/3b844097-7077-4199-9c69-4d8b78c413b3.jpg?v=1775578932","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/9781324086994-retail-eight-bears-mythic-past-and-imperiled-future","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}