Nature books by R D Lawrence

I have read all of the R. D. Lawrence books. Mr. Lawrence was a Canadian naturalist who wrote books on his personal experiences with animals. Though he does briefly mention some evolution in some of his books, it is always in passing and is not the main focus. He was not afraid to part from common theories of why animals do what they do if his observations showed otherwise.

Though he was not a hunter, he did hunt when necessary and does not preach against such things. He lived in an area where many of his neighbors hunted to put food on the table. He understood that but knew it was not something he enjoyed. He does condemn those who would disregard his no trespassing/no hunting signs and hunt on his property, but mostly because his farm was a wildlife rehabilitation facility and he didn’t want hunters killing the animals he had worked so hard to release back into the wild.

His stories are all true, with the exception of a novel or two. His books are an enjoyable read but are not for the faint of heart. Definitely not for under high school age. Most of his books focus on his observations of the animals in his care and how he rehabilitated them to be re-released into the wild. Because of this, his care of the animals is always as close to what it would be for them in nature as possible. He does describe some aspects of that in gory detail, such as wolves killing a deer.

If you want to try one to see if his books are right for your family, I suggest you try The Zoo That Never Was or Paddy: A Naturalist’s Story of an Orphan Beaver.

Yes, definitely. I have read some of Mowat’s books also and they are similar in flavor to Lawrence’s. Very readable, funny in places, and great descriptions of what they have observed.