I have taken the perfect photo of my dad and his dog
Chantal Lyons
@chantallyons.bsky.social
Sci Comms writer & naturalist. Debut non-fic GROUNDBREAKERS on the return of Britain’s wild boar out w/ Bloomsbury 1 Feb 2024! Rep’d by James Macdonald Lockhart.
Reminder to all in the Bristol area/surrounding environs that I'll be talking about the future of #WildBoar in Britain at the gorgeous Belmont Estate next Wednesday evening! Tickets here 👉 belmont.estate/events/
Blueskyers, what do you think - is the creature in this (hilarious) video a #WildBoar or a peccary? Looks like the latter to me… www.youtube.com/watch?v=VdhT...
RESGATANDO JAVALI INGRATO
YouTube video by Wende Crispim
youtube.com
SUPER interesting new paper here from scientists in Argentina which find that termites incorporated megafauna bones into their nests & may have thinned out the Pleistocene fossil record in parts of South America as a result! www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10....
tandfonline.com
Thank you so much Anand!
Anand@calmerfuture.bsky.social · 8mo agothis is an unexpected and welcome library discovery Groundbreakers The Return of Britain's Wild Boar @chantallyons.bsky.social thinking of ground and fencing I've seen around the Cairngorms, ripped up by boar into a WWI battlefield we need a totally new model for landscapes, and our boundaries…
At Chaparri Bear Reserve in Peru (bonus trip while out here for work). Their habituated peccaries take belly rubs therefore we must assume wild boar would also enjoy them
Currently obsessed with this new paper which infers that North America is missing a large bioturbating herbivore which basically means that feral hogs are ground sloths in pig’s clothing royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
Just 7 days left to enter your poem or flash story on the theme of “In the dark” to the @walklistencreate.org writing competition! (And I’m a judge 😍) write.walklistencreate.org/wr_instance/...
Write About Walking – In the Dark
write.walklistencreate.org
Frustrating when you come across a glaring error in a well-reviewed book that makes you wonder if other “facts” therein are wrong too. Thylacine ancestors in Australia date back at least 30 mya? Maybe getting confused w/ dingo. Vital for authors to check & re-check text before publication…
I did not want to see the news tonight that Jane Goodall has died. But what a life. What a human. What an impact she had on our understanding of our fellow Earthlings and their right to life. We are so much poorer for having lost her.
When your fiancé is reading a biography of Francis Crick, who was married to your great aunt Odile, and points out this bit and says “Look, your accident gene runs in the family”
I was utterly charmed by @bsbicountries.bsky.social’s quest to find a medley of Britain’s endemic species. Also, YES to Pokémon references in nature writing
Online this Tuesday evening. Delving into the exciting & urgent question of how we can include the lives & experiences of nonhumans in writing w/ fellow author Emma Geen, hosted by @walklistencreate.org! Tickets here: walklistencreate.org/walkingevent...
Words to Light the Dark: Writing the worlds of other animals
How do we bridge the experiential gap between that of humans and other animals with writing that feels intelligible to us, while reaching for the differences in how other animals sense, think, and act...
walklistencreate.org
Books that intelligently poke at our complex relationship with wild nature, should be compulsory reading - this is one of them. @chantallyons.bsky.social immerses herself in the world of wild boar and those people with an opinion on their growing presence. www.waterstones.com/book/groundb...
Believe there are still tickets going for my panel with @sophiepavs.bsky.social & Peter Cairns at the Edinburgh Book Fest tomorrow morning - if you’re around, come! www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...
Chantal Lyons, Sophie Pavelle & Peter Cairns: Landscape, and Beavers, and Boars (Oh, My!)
From Wed 20 Aug - Sharing their deep understanding of what we're lucky to have in nature and how to repair the damage done, Wainwright Prize-shortlisted author of Groundbreakers, Chantal Lyons, To Ha...
edbookfest.co.uk
Two brilliant new reads on coexistence with creatures great & small - @adamweymouth.bsky.social on wolves, & @julianhoffman.bsky.social on fellow humans, bears, wrens, swallows & beyond in Greece ❤️
I’ve always heard that damsons are generally too sour to eat as they are - but I’ve found a tree near me whose fruit is green-fleshed yet divine (like miniature Victoria plums). Are my tastebuds off or have I found a Magical Damson Tree?
On 2 Sept at 7pm, I'll be holding an online @walklistencreate.org writer's salon with Emma Geen (author of one of my all-time favourite sci-fis) on the deeply fascinating question of how to write the worlds of other animals. Book a ticket and join us! walklistencreate.org/walkingevent...
Words to Light the Dark: Writing the worlds of other animals
How do we bridge the experiential gap between that of humans and other animals with writing that feels intelligible to us, while reaching for the differences in how other animals sense, think, and act...
walklistencreate.org
Sorry but this photo of my parents’ rescue dog from Sri Lanka being walked in the rain kills me
Thanks so much Dave :)
Cllr Dr Dave McElroy@davemcelroy.bsky.social · last yr.Just finished @chantallyons.bsky.social #groundbreakers. The prose is vivid and immersive, making it easy to forget you're not there with her, debating over who is going into Boartropolis first and by how far. www.bloomsbury.com/uk/groundbre...
Loved @argatyredkites.bsky.social’s new book on his ultimately triumphant battle to save #beavers from being shot & bring them to his land in Scotland. 1/2
March 2025: Defra withdraws GL45 amid concerns of Avian Flu. June 2025: BASC starts legal proceedings against this decision June 2025: Avian Flu outbreaks start popping up across the UK, including at commercial gamebird rearing facility. Defra 1 - BASC 0. raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/07/07/d...
DEFRA withdraws licence for release of gamebirds on Special Protection Areas due to high risk of avian flu – BASC starts legal challenge
In 2020, Wild Justice won a significant legal challenge against Defra, forcing it to introduce a licensing scheme for the release of gamebirds (Pheasants & Red-legged Partridges) on or near Nat…
raptorpersecutionuk.org
Raced through this by @drjuliashaw.bsky.social - had no idea of the issue of illegal gold miners in South Africa! Compelling storytelling throughout.
Wonderful to see the @wainwrightprize.bsky.social going from strength to strength & to see so many deserving books on the longlist this year! It remains an absolute honour for my book to have been Highly Commended in the Conservation category last year ❤️ wainwrightprize.com/news/longlis...
Longlists and Judging Panels Announced for 2025 Wainwright Prizes - Wainwright Prize
wainwrightprize.com
An entire Dorset village faces eviction, proof that private money rules rural England. On 5 July, join Right to Roam for a peaceful trespass at Bridehead to protest the feudal grip on land. #RightToRoam #Bridehead #LittleBredy #Dorset www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
An entire village in Dorset is facing eviction – proof that private money holds all the power in rural England | George Monbiot
This scandalous story gives lie to the claim that the biggest threat to country life comes from city dwellers, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
theguardian.com
Thank you so much Nic 😍 (I think we spoke at the Small City Bookshop event?)
Nic the Bookseller@nic-v.bsky.social · last yr.A fascinating book about wild boar, and people’s reactions to and interactions with them. I didn’t think that I would be interested in wild boar, until I heard @chantallyons.bsky.social speak - so interesting, I immediately bought her book! Well-researched, accessible and eye-opening #books 💙📚💡
Thank you so much Tom - it’s always a pleasure to get a nuanced review like this one!
Tom Cameron @ecoevoenviro.bsky.social · last yr.Just finished Groundbreakers by @chantallyons.bsky.social - no big review here and any pedantic nit picking can be reserved for a chat if I ever have the luck to meet up - in summary a few points 1. Read this book /1
