David Waltner-Toews

In the third volume of the Lyrik Poetry Series, honouring Canada's foremost Mennonite poets, CMU Press presents the highly varied and entertaining poetry, past and present, of Dr. David Waltner-Toews, who is also a scientist, veterinarian, humourist, and mystery writer. Including an introduction by editor Nathan Dueck and an afterword by the poet.

David Waltner-Toews is a veterinarian, as well as a specialist in the epidemiology of food- and water-borne diseases and zoonoses, infectious diseases transferred from animals to humans. He has written books about chickens and travelled the world to combat bird flu. So when his wife gives him a box of chicks on his birthday to begin raising his own backyard chickens, Waltner-Toews is not all that worried about what could go wrong. Soon he finds himself plunged into a wonderful and slightly madcap adventure as he struggles to stay one step ahead of the chickens who are determined to rule the roost.In this wide-ranging memoir Waltner-Toews shares not only his joys and misadventures with the chickens, but also reflects our history and relationship with chickens, with the urban animals surrounding us and with the ecosystem that contains us all. Funny, wise, and thought-provoking, A Conspiracy of Chickens is a book that takes chickens seriously and asks the reader to do the same.

In Saskatoon, Canada, a newly graduated veterinarian shoots wildly at a horse in the clinic of the veterinary college. A few miles away, in the middle of a frozen slough, veterinarians find the frozen body of a butcher, cradling a cow's head. Nearby, a successful cattle embryo transfer farm has something to hide. Veterinarian Abner Dueck, back in Canada after being expelled from Indonesia, once again finds himself trying to solve problems which the people around him think are none of his business. Fear of Landing, the first Abner Dueck mystery, was listed by Publishers Weekly as one of the top 10 mysteries and top 100 books of 2008. Margaret Cannon wrote, in The Globe and Mail that "David Waltner-Toews is a genuine polymath. He's a published poet, author of books on subjects as diverse as Mennonite history and exotic animal-to-human diseases. He's a professor of population medicine at the University of Guelph, an epidemiologist, a founder of Veterinarians Without Borders and the Network for Ecosystem Sustainability and Health. In his free time, he's written his first mystery novel, and it's terrific."

Containing important information about the coronavirus, this comprehensive, easy-to-follow primer on pandemics, epidemics, and the panics they ignite around the world also shares solutions for a safer, healthier future. “A quiet little gem of understanding in a cacophony of panic and fear.” —Quill & Quire, STARRED review Authored by a leading epidemiologist, this engrossing book answers our questions about animal diseases that jump to humans—called zoonoses—including what attracts them to humans, why they have become more common in recent history, and how we can keep them at bay. Almost all pandemics and epidemics have been caused by diseases that come to us from animals, including SARS, Ebola, and—now—Covid-19. Epidemiologist, veterinarian, and ecosystem health specialist, David Waltner-Toews, gathers the latest research to profile dozens of illnesses in On Pandemics. Chapters are broken into short, dynamic explainers, each one tackling a different disease. Readers will discover: Why zoonotic diseases jump from animals to humans—and why some decide to stick around for good. How governments have responded to pandemics and epidemics throughout history, for better or for worse. The role of climate change, industrialized farming, cultural practices, biodiversity loss, and globalization in making these diseases not only possible, but inevitable outcomes of our modern lifestyles. Coronaviruses, such as those that cause SARS and Covid-19, have likely made bats their home for centuries. Until SARS came along, we didn’t know they were there, nor do we know how many other death-dealing viruses might be living undetected in wildlife. On Pandemics shows the greater impact of animal-borne diseases on our world, and encourages us to re-examine our role in pandemics, if not for our own health, then for the health of our planet. Published originally in 2007 as The Chickens Fight Back: Pandemic Panics and Deadly Diseases that Jump from Animals to Humans, this book has been updated in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. “Waltner-Toews makes truly entertaining reading.” —Globe and Mail “A page-turner presented with irreverent humour and many hair-raising anecdotes.” —Vitality Magazine

Is sustainable development a workable solution for today's environmental problems? Is it scientifically defensible? Best known for applying ecological theory to the engineering problems of everyday life, the late scholar James J. Kay was a leader in the study of social and ecological complexity and the thermodynamics of ecosystems. Drawing from his immensely important work, as well as the research of his students and colleagues, The Ecosystem Approach is a guide to the aspects of complex systems theories relevant to social-ecological management. Advancing a methodology that is rooted in good theory and practice, this book features case studies conducted in the Arctic and Africa, in Canada and Kathmandu, and in the Peruvian Amazon, Chesapeake Bay, and Chennai, India. Applying a systems approach to concrete environmental issues, this volume is geared toward scientists, engineers, and sustainable development scholars and practitioners who are attuned to the ideas of the Resilience Alliance-an international group of scientists who take a more holistic view of ecology and environmental problem-solving. Chapters cover the origins and rebirth of the ecosystem approach in ecology; the bridging of science and values; the challenge of governance in complex systems; systemic and participatory approaches to management; and the place for cultural diversity in the quest for global sustainability.

Is sustainable development a workable solution for today's environmental problems? Is it scientifically defensible? Best known for applying ecological theory to the engineering problems of everyday life, the late scholar James J. Kay was a leader in the study of social and ecological complexity and the thermodynamics of ecosystems. Drawing from his immensely important work, as well as the research of his students and colleagues, The Ecosystem Approach is a guide to the aspects of complex systems theories relevant to social-ecological management. Advancing a methodology that is rooted in good theory and practice, this book features case studies conducted in the Arctic and Africa, in Canada and Kathmandu, and in the Peruvian Amazon, Chesapeake Bay, and Chennai, India. Applying a systems approach to concrete environmental issues, this volume is geared toward scientists, engineers, and sustainable development scholars and practitioners who are attuned to the ideas of the Resilience Alliance-an international group of scientists who take a more holistic view of ecology and environmental problem-solving. Chapters cover the origins and rebirth of the ecosystem approach in ecology; the bridging of science and values; the challenge of governance in complex systems; systemic and participatory approaches to management; and the place for cultural diversity in the quest for global sustainability.

Exploring the implementation of participatory, multistakeholder, and transdisciplinary ecosystem health research, Integrated Assessment of Health and Sustainability of Agroecosystems combines the latest theories in complexity and management with practical tools and approaches for sustainable rural development research. Although the text focuses on smallholder farming communities in the central highlands of Kenya, the material discussed can be—and has been—effectively applied to agroecosystems in many other parts of the world.After showing how the agroecosystem health framework was successfully adapted in a smallholder-dominated agroecosystem, the book integrates participatory methods, systems analyses, pulse process models, and soft systems methods in an open-ended, adaptive R&D process. It then looks at how to use correspondence analysis to refine a research-based suite of indicators and analyze data obtained using indicators. Incorporating the authors’ pioneering work in the ecosystem health field, this book demonstrates the potential of the agroecosystem health paradigm as a framework in the decision-making processes of agricultural communities in a tropical highlands area.

What sex is to interpersonal relationships, eating is to the human-environment relationship: a consummation of humans’ connection to the living biosphere. But while sticking one’s tongue into a new and exciting environment may be an act as old as the planet, it can also lead to some nasty surprises. In this lively look at foodborne illnesses, David Waltner-Toews discusses food-related problems caused by bacteria, viruses, and parasites, including death by puffer fish, rollicking tales of tapeworms, neurological problems brought on by ciguatera poison, and that old standby, botulism. He also examines the chemicals and antibiotics that have entered the food supply and the havoc they can wreak. And to help readers stop problems before they start, he offers common-sense solutions to confronting the complicated issue of foodborne disease. His witty approach makes a deadly serious subject accessible to all readers, while never minimizing the risk.

Improving the health of people and animals, and improving the health, integrity or sustainability of ecosystems are laudable and important objectives. Can we do both? There are no ecosystems untouched by human activity, and there are worrying signs that the world's ecosystems are reaching the limits of their ability to adapt to human impacts. Drawing on fields as diverse as epidemiology and participatory action research, philosophy and environmental sciences, ecology and systems sciences, this book is about searching for solutions to complex problems to produce a new science for sustainability.

Improving the health of people and animals, and improving the health, integrity or sustainability of ecosystems are laudable and important objectives. Can we do both? There are no ecosystems untouched by human activity, and there are worrying signs that the world's ecosystems are reaching the limits of their ability to adapt to human impacts. Drawing on fields as diverse as epidemiology and participatory action research, philosophy and environmental sciences, ecology and systems sciences, this book is about searching for solutions to complex problems to produce a new science for sustainability.

What sex is to inter-personal relationships, eating is to the Human-Environment relationship, a daily consummation of our de facto marriage to the living biosphere. This book is about the true meaning of eating, intimacy, love, vomiting and diarrhea: You and your food partner. It is about the celebration of ecology through eating and about how food poisoning can save the world. This book should be kept next to your toilet, and also next to your refrigerator. The next time you suffer from a bout of food poisoning, doubled over in abdominal pain, feeling like there rages a true revolution within, I want you to understand what is happening to you, why the inner child is having a gaseous tantrum in your guts. I want you to hear Gaia's, the earth organism's, whispered love-message to you.

One Animal Among Many: Gaia, Goats, and Garlic examines the real-life experiences of creatures great and small. Best known for his witty columns in Harrowsmith, David Waltner-Toews explores the interconnectedness of all life with insight and humour. The collection looks at everything from sheep farming to herbal remedies and rabies.