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Join "America’s funniest science writer" (Peter Carlson, Washington Post), Mary Roach, on an irresistible investigation into the unpredictable world where wildlife and humans meet.

What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? Three hundred years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, as New York Times best-selling author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology.

Roach tags along with animal-attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and "danger tree" faller blasters. Intrepid as ever, she travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St. Peter’s Square in the early hours before the pope arrives for Easter Mass, when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display. She taste-tests rat bait, learns how to install a vulture effigy, and gets mugged by a macaque.

Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and trespassing squirrels, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature’s lawbreakers. When it comes to "problem" wildlife, she finds, humans are more often the problem—and the solution. Fascinating, witty, and humane, Fuzz offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat.

In "Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law," author Mary Roach takes a humorous and thought-provoking look at the world of animals and their interactions with the legal system. Through a series of entertaining anecdotes and case studies, Roach explores the legal rights and responsibilities of animals, the challenges of enforcing animal welfare laws, and the often surprising ways in which animals can break the law.

Roach begins by examining the legal definition of an animal, which varies from country to country. In some jurisdictions, animals are considered to be property, while in others they are recognized as sentient beings with certain rights. This distinction has a significant impact on the way that animals are treated by the law.

Roach also discusses the challenges of enforcing animal welfare laws. Many of these laws are difficult to enforce, either because they are poorly written or because there are too few resources available to enforce them. As a result, many animals are subjected to abuse and neglect.

Despite the challenges, Roach argues that it is important to have laws that protect animals from abuse and neglect. She points out that animals are sentient beings who can experience pain and suffering, and that they deserve to be treated with compassion and respect.

"Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law" is a fascinating and thought-provoking book that challenges our assumptions about animals and the law. Roach's humorous writing style and engaging storytelling make this book a pleasure to read, even for those who are not normally interested in legal issues.