“Kalaugher provides a fascinating dive into the complex nexus of disease and conservation, a topic that behooves us all to sit up and pay attention. If you don’t give a zebra’s stripe about sick animals, you should still read this book, if only to preserve your own hide.”

Kate MacCord, author of “How Does Germline Regenerate?”

“Extinction happens, but it doesn’t just happen. Books about species extinction and endangerment concentrate on causes like overhunting, habitat loss, invasive species, and so on, but as Kalaugher relates in her thoroughly accessible book, most have little to say about the most insidious cause of all: virulent, highly transmissible infectious diseases capable of producing massive losses within incredibly short periods of time. Environmental disruptions, nowadays overwhelmingly the byproduct of deleterious human activities, can exacerbate the situation by throwing together pathogens and species in new combinations neither had ever experienced. Whether this might have led to sudden losses as people spread over the planet (think woolly mammoths, giant lemurs, and dodos) remains a subject of specialist debate, but current examples of disease-induced population collapses (think monk seals, saiga antelopes, black footed ferrets) suggest that the issue is very real, not a figment of overheated theory. The Elephant in the Room is the story of pathogen pollution and our role in forcing it on the world, told through an absorbing mix of cutting-edge science, intelligent analysis, and clear warnings from the field.”

Ross D. E. MacPhee, author of “End of the Megafauna: The Fate of the World’s Hugest, Fiercest, and Strangest Animals”

“As a physician-scientist, facts are the currency of my work, but facts don’t tell themselves. That’s the beauty of this book—Kalaugher has brought facts to life through compelling storytelling. This is an entertaining read as much as it is enlightening. We are in the midst of the ‘pandemicene,’ and it’s imperative that we all understand how our health as humans is inextricably linked to the health of other animals and the environment. We simultaneously face other existential threats from climate change and loss of biodiversity. Anyone who reads this book will come away with an understanding that these are all symptoms of a planet in distress, but that it’s not too late to act. We have the tools we need to fight back, and there is hope to be found in the pages of this wonderful book.”

Neil Vora, Conservation International

“We are making animals sick and suffering the consequences. We’ve been doing it since the Stone Age, but factory farming, globalized travel, and climate change are making it much worse. Kalaugher’s warm, wise book describes the problem in compelling detail: a story of invasive species, ecological imbalances, and good intentions gone wrong. We travel with her to meet animals in trouble around the world, to hear from the men and women trying to save them, and to learn what we need to do to avoid a fight to the death. From devastating loss comes a powerful call to hope and action.”

Josephine Quinn, author of “How the World Made the West: A 4,000 Year History”

“To reduce infectious disease, first tackle animal health. After a global pandemic we urgently need to learn how. Kalaugher spells out the ways in an expertly chosen set of case studies about diagnosis, prevention, and (sometimes) cure in a host of different species from zebras to bats to apes. She is a sure-footed guide to the tangled lives of viruses and their hosts and brings together the latest science with reports from the field to craft a convincing case for action. Her book is a vital reminder that our health depends on the health of our ecosystems, and we neglect them at our peril.”

Jon Turney, author of “Cracking Neuroscience”