JO WIMPENNY’S Beauty of the Beasts appears at first glance to be a celebration of the animal kingdom’s less glamorous inhabitants: the scavengers, parasites, slime-makers and flesh-eaters usually denied starring roles in wildlife documentaries.
But beneath the surface, and overt message of the book, lies a rather pointed challenge to human vanity.
Wimpenny, a zoologist at Oxford University, believes humanity has developed a deeply skewed view of nature.
We admire creatures that appear graceful, furry or emotionally relatable, while recoiling from those associated with decay, disease or fear. Pandas receive conservation campaigns and plush toys; vultures and wasps inspire little beyond panic and extermination.
My favourite sight in nature is to watch the native red deer in Killarney National Park quietly grazing on the hillside.
Yet what I should be doing is paying tribute to the animals that rarely feature in popular culture...
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