The Subjugation of Canadian Wildlife by author and Professor Emeritus of Communication at the University of Calgary, Dr. Max Foran, takes an in-depth and honest look at wildlife management policies in Canada like no other book has done before and, it is a book that should be mandatory reading for anyone who has an interest in Canadian wildlife. It is for those who wish to better understand our relationship with wildlife, where we went wrong and what needs to be done in order to put an end to our ongoing, often violent, assault upon them. If you live outside of Canada, particularly if you live in the U.S., you will find this book worth a read as all of North America shares an almost identical history when it comes to wildlife conservation.

Max has written an extensive list of books focusing on western Canadian urban, rural and cultural topics, but he tells me that The Subjugation of Canadian Wildlife is his best and most important book to date. At its core the book is about our disconnected relationship with wildlife and failure as a people and a country to do what is both morally and ethically right. What makes this book so powerful is how it intelligently links the roles that science, culture, religion, philosophy, politics and history play in how we view and deal with wildlife. Finally, in one book we can see how they come together to influence policies, emotion, and ultimately our decisions. The Subjugation of Canadian Wildlife is also very accessible which means the reader doesn’t need a background in science, history or wildlife conservation to understand and appreciate its passionate and urgent message. This is a book that we, and wildlife, need now.

“We need to get away from wildlife being cute, they are not cute, they are our fellow residents and they are the ones we live with so the sooner we understand them the better we will be able to treat them. There is always going to be incidences, but we must realize that they are independent souls who inhabit the planet with us and the solution is not to kill them.” – Max Foran

Will the outdated anthropocentric views that continue to dominate wildlife management change? Will the fear, paranoia and often exaggerated “frenzied emphasis on human safety” that justifies how we treat wildlife, especially predators like cougars, continue to rule? If we are willing to evolve is society ready to put an end to the destructive and abhorrent practice of trophy hunting? Or as stated in the book, is the price of change too high?

I recently spoke to Max about his book, the interview can be heard below, and some of the themes it covers. A few of the major takeaways from my discussion include the fact that our belief system must change first and, the sooner we end the practice of trophy hunting the better. In addition Canada, and elsewhere, must banish the idea that wildlife is a resource. Wildlife agencies must embrace change and start to acknowledge the irrefutable evidence of animal cognition and that wildlife is autonomous. What else is needed? Max tells me education, recognizing the proactive measures happening elsewhere and publicizing them while making these narratives the new norm. We must start to “see wildlife as selves” and we must create an evolved and ethical model of conservation that puts animals first. As the book says, “this is the path to our moral evolution”.

“The minority who work on behalf of wildlife can do no better than blunt the raw use of power against wild creatures and to try to modify anthropocentric bias. Anything else requires a new belief system. We have a tiny window of hope.” – Max Foran

The Subjugation of Canadian Wildlife is part of my Recommended Reading List and can be purchased on Amazon or as an eBook on Kobo.