Al Bahah

You have to hear the wonder with which Dan talks about these animals and how he makes the case for our understanding of them being essential to our survival and their survival and the health of the planet.

dan will introduce you to some really surprising synanthropes like baboons in the city of al-baha in saudi arabia or the giant pacific octopus off the coast of seattle we also talk about conservation and climate change and why dan did not want to lean into grief in this book so buckle up and get ready to fall in love with your neighborhood synanthrope or at least feel less mad when they knock over your garbage We start with the humble raccoon known in the scientific community as Procyon lotor and in the internet community as Trash Panda.

Or if you ask Dan, one of the city's great survival success stories.

I think living in Toronto for so long, it's been – you know, they don't feel like villains.

This book is set up as... you know, profiling a different urban animal in a different city in each chapter.

And in one of the chapters, I actually traveled to Saudi Arabia, to the mountainous western region of Saudi Arabia, to a city called al-Baha, which is overrun by Hamadrius baboons.

which are these quite large and terrifying, extremely intelligent primates.

They are highly social.