Chantal Lyons
@chantallyons.bsky.social
Sci Comms writer & naturalist. Debut non-fic GROUNDBREAKERS on the return of Britain’s wild boar out w/ Bloomsbury 1 Feb 2024!
Rep’d by James Macdonald Lockhart.
Rep’d by James Macdonald Lockhart.
Currently obsessed with this new paper which infers that North America is missing a large bioturbating herbivore which basically means that feral hogs are ground sloths in pig’s clothing
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
November 6, 2025 at 8:20 PM
Currently obsessed with this new paper which infers that North America is missing a large bioturbating herbivore which basically means that feral hogs are ground sloths in pig’s clothing
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1...
Just 7 days left to enter your poem or flash story on the theme of “In the dark” to the @walklistencreate.org writing competition!
(And I’m a judge 😍)
write.walklistencreate.org/wr_instance/...
(And I’m a judge 😍)
write.walklistencreate.org/wr_instance/...
Write About Walking – In the Dark
write.walklistencreate.org
October 13, 2025 at 6:23 PM
Just 7 days left to enter your poem or flash story on the theme of “In the dark” to the @walklistencreate.org writing competition!
(And I’m a judge 😍)
write.walklistencreate.org/wr_instance/...
(And I’m a judge 😍)
write.walklistencreate.org/wr_instance/...
Frustrating when you come across a glaring error in a well-reviewed book that makes you wonder if other “facts” therein are wrong too. Thylacine ancestors in Australia date back at least 30 mya? Maybe getting confused w/ dingo. Vital for authors to check & re-check text before publication…
October 3, 2025 at 10:52 AM
Frustrating when you come across a glaring error in a well-reviewed book that makes you wonder if other “facts” therein are wrong too. Thylacine ancestors in Australia date back at least 30 mya? Maybe getting confused w/ dingo. Vital for authors to check & re-check text before publication…
I did not want to see the news tonight that Jane Goodall has died.
But what a life. What a human. What an impact she had on our understanding of our fellow Earthlings and their right to life. We are so much poorer for having lost her.
But what a life. What a human. What an impact she had on our understanding of our fellow Earthlings and their right to life. We are so much poorer for having lost her.
October 1, 2025 at 6:58 PM
I did not want to see the news tonight that Jane Goodall has died.
But what a life. What a human. What an impact she had on our understanding of our fellow Earthlings and their right to life. We are so much poorer for having lost her.
But what a life. What a human. What an impact she had on our understanding of our fellow Earthlings and their right to life. We are so much poorer for having lost her.
When your fiancé is reading a biography of Francis Crick, who was married to your great aunt Odile, and points out this bit and says “Look, your accident gene runs in the family”
September 5, 2025 at 5:15 PM
When your fiancé is reading a biography of Francis Crick, who was married to your great aunt Odile, and points out this bit and says “Look, your accident gene runs in the family”
I was utterly charmed by @bsbicountries.bsky.social’s quest to find a medley of Britain’s endemic species. Also, YES to Pokémon references in nature writing
September 2, 2025 at 7:32 AM
I was utterly charmed by @bsbicountries.bsky.social’s quest to find a medley of Britain’s endemic species. Also, YES to Pokémon references in nature writing
Online this Tuesday evening. Delving into the exciting & urgent question of how we can include the lives & experiences of nonhumans in writing w/ fellow author Emma Geen, hosted by @walklistencreate.org! Tickets here:
walklistencreate.org/walkingevent...
walklistencreate.org/walkingevent...
Words to Light the Dark: Writing the worlds of other animals
How do we bridge the experiential gap between that of humans and other animals with writing that feels intelligible to us, while reaching for the differences in how other animals sense, think, and act...
walklistencreate.org
August 31, 2025 at 9:47 AM
Online this Tuesday evening. Delving into the exciting & urgent question of how we can include the lives & experiences of nonhumans in writing w/ fellow author Emma Geen, hosted by @walklistencreate.org! Tickets here:
walklistencreate.org/walkingevent...
walklistencreate.org/walkingevent...
Reposted by Chantal Lyons
Books that intelligently poke at our complex relationship with wild nature, should be compulsory reading - this is one of them.
@chantallyons.bsky.social immerses herself in the world of wild boar and those people with an opinion on their growing presence.
www.waterstones.com/book/groundb...
@chantallyons.bsky.social immerses herself in the world of wild boar and those people with an opinion on their growing presence.
www.waterstones.com/book/groundb...
August 23, 2025 at 2:31 PM
Books that intelligently poke at our complex relationship with wild nature, should be compulsory reading - this is one of them.
@chantallyons.bsky.social immerses herself in the world of wild boar and those people with an opinion on their growing presence.
www.waterstones.com/book/groundb...
@chantallyons.bsky.social immerses herself in the world of wild boar and those people with an opinion on their growing presence.
www.waterstones.com/book/groundb...
Believe there are still tickets going for my panel with @sophiepavs.bsky.social & Peter Cairns at the Edinburgh Book Fest tomorrow morning - if you’re around, come! www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...
Chantal Lyons, Sophie Pavelle & Peter Cairns: Landscape, and Beavers, and Boars (Oh, My!)
From Wed 20 Aug - Sharing their deep understanding of what we're lucky to have in nature and how to repair the damage done, Wainwright Prize-shortlisted author of Groundbreakers, Chantal Lyons, To Ha...
www.edbookfest.co.uk
August 19, 2025 at 3:44 PM
Believe there are still tickets going for my panel with @sophiepavs.bsky.social & Peter Cairns at the Edinburgh Book Fest tomorrow morning - if you’re around, come! www.edbookfest.co.uk/the-festival...
Two brilliant new reads on coexistence with creatures great & small - @adamweymouth.bsky.social on wolves, & @julianhoffman.bsky.social on fellow humans, bears, wrens, swallows & beyond in Greece ❤️
August 15, 2025 at 12:39 PM
Two brilliant new reads on coexistence with creatures great & small - @adamweymouth.bsky.social on wolves, & @julianhoffman.bsky.social on fellow humans, bears, wrens, swallows & beyond in Greece ❤️
I’ve always heard that damsons are generally too sour to eat as they are - but I’ve found a tree near me whose fruit is green-fleshed yet divine (like miniature Victoria plums). Are my tastebuds off or have I found a Magical Damson Tree?
August 10, 2025 at 12:01 PM
I’ve always heard that damsons are generally too sour to eat as they are - but I’ve found a tree near me whose fruit is green-fleshed yet divine (like miniature Victoria plums). Are my tastebuds off or have I found a Magical Damson Tree?
On 2 Sept at 7pm, I'll be holding an online @walklistencreate.org writer's salon with Emma Geen (author of one of my all-time favourite sci-fis) on the deeply fascinating question of how to write the worlds of other animals. Book a ticket and join us!
walklistencreate.org/walkingevent...
walklistencreate.org/walkingevent...
Words to Light the Dark: Writing the worlds of other animals
How do we bridge the experiential gap between that of humans and other animals with writing that feels intelligible to us, while reaching for the differences in how other animals sense, think, and act...
walklistencreate.org
August 5, 2025 at 7:42 PM
On 2 Sept at 7pm, I'll be holding an online @walklistencreate.org writer's salon with Emma Geen (author of one of my all-time favourite sci-fis) on the deeply fascinating question of how to write the worlds of other animals. Book a ticket and join us!
walklistencreate.org/walkingevent...
walklistencreate.org/walkingevent...
Sorry but this photo of my parents’ rescue dog from Sri Lanka being walked in the rain kills me
August 2, 2025 at 9:40 PM
Sorry but this photo of my parents’ rescue dog from Sri Lanka being walked in the rain kills me
Thanks so much Dave :)
Just finished @chantallyons.bsky.social #groundbreakers. The prose is vivid and immersive, making it easy to forget you're not there with her, debating over who is going into Boartropolis first and by how far. www.bloomsbury.com/uk/groundbre...
Groundbreakers
SHORTLISTED AND HIGHLY COMMENDED FOR THE WAINWRIGHT PRIZE FOR WRITING ON CONSERVATION.WINNER OF THE BES MARSH ECOLOGY BOOK OF THE YEAR 2024.'Full of joy, pathos…
www.bloomsbury.com
July 19, 2025 at 12:14 AM
Thanks so much Dave :)
Loved @argatyredkites.bsky.social’s new book on his ultimately triumphant battle to save #beavers from being shot & bring them to his land in Scotland. 1/2
July 12, 2025 at 8:11 AM
Loved @argatyredkites.bsky.social’s new book on his ultimately triumphant battle to save #beavers from being shot & bring them to his land in Scotland. 1/2
Reposted by Chantal Lyons
March 2025: Defra withdraws GL45 amid concerns of Avian Flu.
June 2025: BASC starts legal proceedings against this decision
June 2025: Avian Flu outbreaks start popping up across the UK, including at commercial gamebird rearing facility.
Defra 1 - BASC 0.
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/07/07/d...
June 2025: BASC starts legal proceedings against this decision
June 2025: Avian Flu outbreaks start popping up across the UK, including at commercial gamebird rearing facility.
Defra 1 - BASC 0.
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/07/07/d...
DEFRA withdraws licence for release of gamebirds on Special Protection Areas due to high risk of avian flu – BASC starts legal challenge
In 2020, Wild Justice won a significant legal challenge against Defra, forcing it to introduce a licensing scheme for the release of gamebirds (Pheasants & Red-legged Partridges) on or near Nat…
raptorpersecutionuk.org
July 7, 2025 at 7:19 AM
March 2025: Defra withdraws GL45 amid concerns of Avian Flu.
June 2025: BASC starts legal proceedings against this decision
June 2025: Avian Flu outbreaks start popping up across the UK, including at commercial gamebird rearing facility.
Defra 1 - BASC 0.
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/07/07/d...
June 2025: BASC starts legal proceedings against this decision
June 2025: Avian Flu outbreaks start popping up across the UK, including at commercial gamebird rearing facility.
Defra 1 - BASC 0.
raptorpersecutionuk.org/2025/07/07/d...
Raced through this by @drjuliashaw.bsky.social - had no idea of the issue of illegal gold miners in South Africa! Compelling storytelling throughout.
July 6, 2025 at 2:34 PM
Raced through this by @drjuliashaw.bsky.social - had no idea of the issue of illegal gold miners in South Africa! Compelling storytelling throughout.
Wonderful to see the @wainwrightprize.bsky.social going from strength to strength & to see so many deserving books on the longlist this year!
It remains an absolute honour for my book to have been Highly Commended in the Conservation category last year ❤️
wainwrightprize.com/news/longlis...
It remains an absolute honour for my book to have been Highly Commended in the Conservation category last year ❤️
wainwrightprize.com/news/longlis...
Longlists and Judging Panels Announced for 2025 Wainwright Prizes - Wainwright Prize
wainwrightprize.com
July 4, 2025 at 10:11 AM
Wonderful to see the @wainwrightprize.bsky.social going from strength to strength & to see so many deserving books on the longlist this year!
It remains an absolute honour for my book to have been Highly Commended in the Conservation category last year ❤️
wainwrightprize.com/news/longlis...
It remains an absolute honour for my book to have been Highly Commended in the Conservation category last year ❤️
wainwrightprize.com/news/longlis...
Reposted by Chantal Lyons
An entire Dorset village faces eviction, proof that private money rules rural England.
On 5 July, join Right to Roam for a peaceful trespass at Bridehead to protest the feudal grip on land.
#RightToRoam #Bridehead #LittleBredy #Dorset
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
On 5 July, join Right to Roam for a peaceful trespass at Bridehead to protest the feudal grip on land.
#RightToRoam #Bridehead #LittleBredy #Dorset
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
An entire village in Dorset is facing eviction – proof that private money holds all the power in rural England | George Monbiot
This scandalous story gives lie to the claim that the biggest threat to country life comes from city dwellers, says Guardian columnist George Monbiot
www.theguardian.com
June 28, 2025 at 9:05 AM
An entire Dorset village faces eviction, proof that private money rules rural England.
On 5 July, join Right to Roam for a peaceful trespass at Bridehead to protest the feudal grip on land.
#RightToRoam #Bridehead #LittleBredy #Dorset
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
On 5 July, join Right to Roam for a peaceful trespass at Bridehead to protest the feudal grip on land.
#RightToRoam #Bridehead #LittleBredy #Dorset
www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...
We must protect the precious babirusa 🥲
June 27, 2025 at 8:16 PM
We must protect the precious babirusa 🥲
Thank you so much Nic 😍 (I think we spoke at the Small City Bookshop event?)
A fascinating book about wild boar, and people’s reactions to and interactions with them.
I didn’t think that I would be interested in wild boar, until I heard @chantallyons.bsky.social speak - so interesting, I immediately bought her book!
Well-researched, accessible and eye-opening
#books
💙📚💡
I didn’t think that I would be interested in wild boar, until I heard @chantallyons.bsky.social speak - so interesting, I immediately bought her book!
Well-researched, accessible and eye-opening
#books
💙📚💡
June 26, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Thank you so much Nic 😍 (I think we spoke at the Small City Bookshop event?)
Thank you so much Tom - it’s always a pleasure to get a nuanced review like this one!
Just finished Groundbreakers by @chantallyons.bsky.social - no big review here and any pedantic nit picking can be reserved for a chat if I ever have the luck to meet up - in summary a few points 1. Read this book /1
June 19, 2025 at 5:04 PM
Thank you so much Tom - it’s always a pleasure to get a nuanced review like this one!
I could watch boar wallow videos all day
During their south of France field course, students from the University of Nottingham learned about camera trap placement, and helped us to deploy cameras around the site. With the rising temperatures, this one at a wild boar wallow was very popular with all the family! @chantallyons.bsky.social
June 18, 2025 at 12:50 PM
I could watch boar wallow videos all day
Thanks so much Bill!
Libraries are the BEST
Libraries are the BEST
Just taking some really electrifying #naturewriting back to the library. I didn't know how much I needed to know about Britain's wild boar until I read Groundbreakers by @chantallyons.bsky.social; turns out the return of these ecosystem engineers is a pretty fascinating test of rewilding in action.
June 11, 2025 at 1:28 PM
Thanks so much Bill!
Libraries are the BEST
Libraries are the BEST
Reposted by Chantal Lyons
My book ‘Treated Like Animals’ is now available in paperback - direct from the publisher, from bookshops, physical and on-line.
pelagicpublishing.com/products/tre...
pelagicpublishing.com/products/tre...
June 4, 2025 at 7:41 PM
My book ‘Treated Like Animals’ is now available in paperback - direct from the publisher, from bookshops, physical and on-line.
pelagicpublishing.com/products/tre...
pelagicpublishing.com/products/tre...