A bear burrowing through the trash bin. Rats on a home invasion spree. Elephants barreling through Indian villages. Caterpillars munching through crops. Once upon a time these offenders would be put on trial and dealt with in a court of law, however ineffectually. Today, conflict management between humans and the natural world is an entire industry that grows with every incursion we make into the wilderness. Mary Roach returns to the podcast to talk about what it was like to be mugged by a macaque while working on her new book, Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law.

Go beyond the episode:

• Mary Roach’s Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law
• Flash back to 2016, when Roach was our very first guest
• Yes: we really did put animals on trial, and it did not go well
• Are the parrots of Western cities pests? San Francisco thinks not; Amsterdam disagrees
• What to do when 30-50 feral hogs run into your yard (OK, but they are actually a problem)

Tune in every week to catch interviews with the liveliest voices from literature, the arts, sciences, history, and public affairs; reports on cutting-edge works in progress; long-form narratives; and compelling excerpts from new books. Hosted by Stephanie Bastek.

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