Born to Be Wild
Reckoning with the Zoo in the Age of Extinction
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Born to Be Wild
Narrated by:
professor Andrew Westoll
Buy Now for ₹667.71
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Narrated by:
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professor Andrew Westoll
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Written by:
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professor Andrew Westoll
An investigation into how zoos fail to protect the animals they work to save.
Few places on Earth force us to reckon with the power we wield over the natural world quite like the modern zoo. Yet, for all our handwringing over the Anthropocene, and at a time of unprecedented concern for animals, the zoo has mostly avoided serious inquiry—until now.
In Born to Be Wild, former zoologist and bestselling journalist Andrew Westoll takes readers behind the scenes at some of the most iconic zoological parks, introducing a cast of extraordinary animals and journeying deep into the wild, on a quest to unearth a new understanding of the modern zoo. The result is an expedition to the heart of our troubled relationship with the animal kingdom, a timely consideration of the many paradoxes posed by the Sixth Extinction, and a moving meditation on what it means to be a parent whose child is in love with a vanishing wild.
Born to Be Wild powerfully illustrates how zoos struggle every day to balance our love for the wild with our need to control it. Exploring familiar stories such as the shooting of Harambe the gorilla in Cincinnati to the Supreme court case of Happy the elephant, Westoll highlights how zoos are failing the animals they are meant to protect while investigating what could be done differently. An essential read for animal lovers questioning their responsibility in wildlife interactions.©2026 Andrew Westoll (P)2026 Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
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Critic Reviews
Born to Be Wild allows a close look at gorillas, giraffes, hippos, and tigers in places as far flung as Copenhagen, Cincinnati, the Congo, and the wilds of Toronto. The writing is elegant, the research impeccable, but it’s Westoll’s mind, his willingness to wrestle with the ethics of captivity, that makes this book so incredibly special. To read it is to go on a grand adventure to the heart of the most important question—what does it mean to be truly alive? (Claire Cameron, award-winning author, "How to Survive a Bear Attack")
A deeply thought-provoking look at one of humanity’s strangest inventions. Westoll’s empathy for animals, and his transcendent pleasure in connecting with them, come through on every page. Read this before your next trip to the zoo. (Emma Marris, award-winning author, "Wild Souls")
An honest and elegant travelogue. . . . Westoll argues, through extensive reporting and unflinching reflection, that the future of zoos must embrace a kind of radical explicitness and not obfuscate the limitations and consequences of what happens within.
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