The Beast in the Garden by David Baron

You may have read my review on the book Ghost Walker by R. D. Lawrence. This is another book about cougars that was recommended by Regan for me to read to further my knowledge and understanding of cougars. It's been an interesting winter and spring interacting with the cougar research folks in the area, and learning the particulars of the two mama cougars who frequent my ranch. This book documents what happened in and around the city of Boulder, Colorado in the late 1980's. The city itself being very "green" with a majority of it's residents open minded and pro wildlife. The city acquires thousands of acres of land surrounding it as a greenbelt and refuses to allow hunting, which enables the deer population to skyrocket. Deer in people's yards are commonplace. Cougars make a comeback and their population also booms, and soon cougar sightings are common, also. Then domestic animals start disappearing from suburban homes, and then the cougars become habituated to humans and lose their fear of them. What happens next is inevitable. A great nonfiction read written by a science reporter for NPR, it certainly broadened my knowledge and understanding of cougars. Highly recommended read for those of us who live in cougar country.