
Zooburbia
Meditations on the Wild Animals Among Us
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $14.95
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
tami joy
-
By:
-
Tai Moses
About this listen
Every animal has a story.
A lively blend of memoir, natural history, and mindfulness, Zooburbia is an inspirational collection of stories of the wildlife with whom we coexist.
In Zooburbia, urban naturalist Tai Moses explores the "extraordinary, unruly, half-wild realm where human and animal lives overlap." The author's woodsy backyard at the base of the Oakland hills becomes a laboratory for encounters with a variety of animals, from deer, raccoons, and squirrels to birds, lizards, and feral cats. The more Moses learns about their natural histories, the more curious she becomes about their stories and recognizes our intimate connection to the animals among us.
Each chapter focuses on a different animal encounter: an octopus in a pet shop, a goat stuck in a fence, or the author's pet dog. Each encounter invites the reader to think about the wildness of city life and the meaning of our relationship to the animals that live with and around us.
This beautifully written and heartfelt memoir is sure to delight animal lovers, urban farmers and gardeners, and people who love the outdoors.
©2014 Tai Moses (P)2015 Parallax PressListeners also enjoyed...
-
The Overstory
- By: Richard Powers
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 22 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Overstory unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fable that range from antebellum New York to the late 20th-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. An air force loadmaster in the Vietnam War is shot out of the sky, then saved by falling into a banyan. An artist inherits 100 years of photographic portraits, all of the same doomed American chestnut. A hard-partying undergraduate in the late 1980s electrocutes herself, dies, and is sent back into life by creatures of air and light.
-
-
eye opening
- By Michael Stansberry on 05-23-18
By: Richard Powers
-
How to Be a Good Creature
- A Memoir in Thirteen Animals
- By: Sy Montgomery
- Narrated by: Sy Montgomery
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Understanding someone who belongs to another species can be transformative. No one knows this better than author, naturalist, and adventurer Sy Montgomery. To research her books, Sy has traveled the world and encountered some of the planet's rarest and most beautiful animals. From tarantulas to tigers, Sy's life continually intersects with and is informed by the creatures she meets. This restorative memoir reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals - Sy's friends - and the truths revealed by their grace.
-
-
Enchanting Start To 2019....
- By Rory on 01-02-19
By: Sy Montgomery
-
The Wild Robot: Booktrack Edition
- By: Peter Brown
- Narrated by: Kate Atwater
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Can a robot survive in the wilderness? When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is - but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home - until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
-
-
Night Time routine <3
- By Tiana on 04-25-25
By: Peter Brown
-
The Zookeeper's Wife
- A War Story
- By: Diane Ackerman
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Germany invaded Poland, bombers devastated Warsaw - and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into the empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts.
-
-
Very Disappointing, Terrible Narration
- By jTacy67 on 07-16-08
By: Diane Ackerman
-
H Is for Hawk
- By: Helen Macdonald
- Narrated by: Helen Macdonald
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Helen MacDonald's father died suddenly on a London street, she was devastated. An experienced falconer captivated by hawks since childhood, she'd never before been tempted to train one of the most vicious predators: the goshawk. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk's fierce and feral anger mirrored her own.
-
-
Mabel The Hawk--The Fire That Burned The Hurts Away
- By Sara on 04-09-15
By: Helen Macdonald
-
Kokopelli's Flute
- By: Will Hobbs
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Young Tepary Jones leads a life of constant adventure. But he gets more excitement than even he can handle when he plays a flute he finds in an ancient ruin. Magic from the Distant Time changes him into a bushy-tailed woodrat and ensnares him in a world of danger and suspense. His parents don’t realize what’s happened to him - only his dog Dusty knows. With Dusty alone to protect him from nightly predators, Tepary must unravel the mystery behind the owner of the flute - Kokopelli himself.
-
-
Stupidest book ever
- By Ccc on 02-16-25
By: Will Hobbs
-
The Overstory
- By: Richard Powers
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 22 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Overstory unfolds in concentric rings of interlocking fable that range from antebellum New York to the late 20th-century Timber Wars of the Pacific Northwest and beyond. An air force loadmaster in the Vietnam War is shot out of the sky, then saved by falling into a banyan. An artist inherits 100 years of photographic portraits, all of the same doomed American chestnut. A hard-partying undergraduate in the late 1980s electrocutes herself, dies, and is sent back into life by creatures of air and light.
-
-
eye opening
- By Michael Stansberry on 05-23-18
By: Richard Powers
-
How to Be a Good Creature
- A Memoir in Thirteen Animals
- By: Sy Montgomery
- Narrated by: Sy Montgomery
- Length: 3 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Understanding someone who belongs to another species can be transformative. No one knows this better than author, naturalist, and adventurer Sy Montgomery. To research her books, Sy has traveled the world and encountered some of the planet's rarest and most beautiful animals. From tarantulas to tigers, Sy's life continually intersects with and is informed by the creatures she meets. This restorative memoir reflects on the personalities and quirks of 13 animals - Sy's friends - and the truths revealed by their grace.
-
-
Enchanting Start To 2019....
- By Rory on 01-02-19
By: Sy Montgomery
-
The Wild Robot: Booktrack Edition
- By: Peter Brown
- Narrated by: Kate Atwater
- Length: 4 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Can a robot survive in the wilderness? When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is - but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home - until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
-
-
Night Time routine <3
- By Tiana on 04-25-25
By: Peter Brown
-
The Zookeeper's Wife
- A War Story
- By: Diane Ackerman
- Narrated by: Suzanne Toren
- Length: 10 hrs and 55 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Germany invaded Poland, bombers devastated Warsaw - and the city's zoo along with it. With most of their animals dead, zookeepers Jan and Antonina Zabinski began smuggling Jews into the empty cages. Another dozen "guests" hid inside the Zabinskis' villa, emerging after dark for dinner, socializing, and, during rare moments of calm, piano concerts.
-
-
Very Disappointing, Terrible Narration
- By jTacy67 on 07-16-08
By: Diane Ackerman
-
H Is for Hawk
- By: Helen Macdonald
- Narrated by: Helen Macdonald
- Length: 11 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Helen MacDonald's father died suddenly on a London street, she was devastated. An experienced falconer captivated by hawks since childhood, she'd never before been tempted to train one of the most vicious predators: the goshawk. But in her grief, she saw that the goshawk's fierce and feral anger mirrored her own.
-
-
Mabel The Hawk--The Fire That Burned The Hurts Away
- By Sara on 04-09-15
By: Helen Macdonald
-
Kokopelli's Flute
- By: Will Hobbs
- Narrated by: Johnny Heller
- Length: 4 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Young Tepary Jones leads a life of constant adventure. But he gets more excitement than even he can handle when he plays a flute he finds in an ancient ruin. Magic from the Distant Time changes him into a bushy-tailed woodrat and ensnares him in a world of danger and suspense. His parents don’t realize what’s happened to him - only his dog Dusty knows. With Dusty alone to protect him from nightly predators, Tepary must unravel the mystery behind the owner of the flute - Kokopelli himself.
-
-
Stupidest book ever
- By Ccc on 02-16-25
By: Will Hobbs
-
The Whispering Land
- By: Gerald Durrell
- Narrated by: Rupert Degas
- Length: 6 hrs and 11 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Following on from the events in A Zoo in My Luggage, The Whispering Land sees Gerald Durrell and his wife Jacquie travel to Argentina to collect animals for their newly established zoo. With rare insight and unique charm, Durrell pulls the listener into the tropical landscape of Patagonia, where he witnesses magical moments with penguins, seals and ocelots, and encounters a hilarious cast of characters, including a swearing parrot and a belching guanaco.
-
-
Delightful!
- By Marsha on 02-09-22
By: Gerald Durrell
-
Wishtree
- By: Katherine Applegate
- Narrated by: Nancy Linari
- Length: 2 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Red is an oak tree who is many rings old. Red is the neighborhood "wishtree" - people write their wishes on pieces of cloth and tie them to Red's branches. Along with her crow friend, Bongo, and other animals who seek refuge in Red's hollows, this "wishtree" watches over the neighborhood. You might say Red has seen it all. Until a new family moves in. Not everyone is welcoming, and Red's experiences as a wishtree are more important than ever.
-
-
Beautiful story!
- By Amy on 01-22-18
-
Nigel
- My Family and Other Dogs
- By: Monty Don
- Narrated by: Monty Don
- Length: 5 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Monty Don's golden retriever, Nigel, became the surprise star of BBC's Gardeners' World, inspiring huge interest, fan mail and even his own social media accounts, Monty Don wanted to explore what makes us connect with animals quite so deeply. In many respects Nigel is a very ordinary dog - charming, handsome and obedient, as so many are. He is also a much loved family pet. He is also a star. By telling Nigel's story, Monty relates his relationships with other special dogs in his life in a memoir of his dogs past and very much present.
-
-
The James Herriot Of Green And Growing Things
- By Miss V. on 03-06-18
By: Monty Don
-
The Aye-Aye and I
- By: Gerald Durrell
- Narrated by: Rupert Degas
- Length: 6 hrs and 1 min
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Gerald Durrell's last book, The Aye-Aye and I, records his final animal-collecting expedition, a trip to Madagascar in 1990, and his efforts to save the elusive and mythical lemuroid known as the Aye-Aye. Prompted by the country's radical deforestation and slash-and-burn agriculture, Durrell, his wife, and their team of zoologists embark on a mission to capture and conserve the species - distinguished by its "giant, chisel-like teeth", "round, hypnotic eyes", and large "spoon-like ears".
-
-
Delightful
- By Marsha on 03-04-22
By: Gerald Durrell
-
Tamed and Untamed: Close Encounters of the Animal Kind
- By: Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, Sy Montgomery
- Narrated by: Sy Montgomery, Elizabeth Marshall Thomas
- Length: 5 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Tamed and Untamed - a collection of essays penned by two of the world's most celebrated animal writers, Sy Montgomery and Elizabeth Marshall Thomas - explores the minds, lives, and mysteries of animals as diverse as snails, house cats, hawks, sharks, dogs, lions, and even octopuses. Drawing on stories of animals both wild and domestic, the two authors, also best friends, created this book to put humans back into the animal world. The more we learn about what other animals think and do, they explain, the more we understand ourselves as animals, too."
-
-
It breaks my heart that we eat animals.
- By Antigone2 on 07-05-18
By: Elizabeth Marshall Thomas, and others
-
Chicken Chronicles
- Sitting with the Angels Who Have Returned with My Memories: Glorious, Rufus, Gertrude Stein, Splendor, Hortensia, Agnes of God, The Gladyses, & Babe
- By: Alice Walker
- Narrated by: Alice Walker
- Length: 3 hrs and 38 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
For the past several years, on a farm north of San Francisco, the celebrated writer Alice Walker has diligently cared for a flock of chickens. Over time, her blossoming relationship with “her girls” became a source of inspiration, strength, and spiritual discovery, and helped Walker connect more profoundly with her own past as a girl in rural Georgia. Walker has recorded this journey in The Chicken Chronicles, an extraordinary document of personal discovery, political commitment, and the joys of relating to animals.
-
-
Dedicated Chicken Enthusiast cannot bear to finish
- By Indianam on 07-03-12
By: Alice Walker
-
Enslaved by Ducks
- How One Man Went from Head of the Household to Bottom of the Pecking Order
- By: Bob Tarte
- Narrated by: Stephen R. Thorne
- Length: 10 hrs and 14 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When Bob Tarte bought a house in rural Michigan, he was counting on a tranquil haven. Then Bob married Linda. She wanted a rabbit, which seemed innocuous enough until the bunny chewed through their electrical wiring. And that was just the beginning. Before long, Bob found himself constructing cages, buying feed, clearing duck waste, and spoon-feeding a menagerie of furry and feathery residents. His life of quiet serenity vanished, and he unwittingly became a servant to a relentlessly demanding family.
-
-
Geese are the Best
- By Kindle Customer on 07-11-20
By: Bob Tarte
-
Will's Red Coat
- The Story of One Old Dog Who Chose to Live Again
- By: Tom Ryan
- Narrated by: Tom Ryan
- Length: 8 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Drawn by an online post, Tom Ryan adopted Will, a frightened, deaf, and mostly blind elderly dog, and brought him home to live with him and Atticus. The only owners Will ever knew had grown too fragile to take care of themselves or of him. Ultimately Will was left at a kill shelter in New Jersey. Tom hoped to give Will a place to die with dignity amid the rustic beauty of the White Mountains of his New Hampshire home. But when Will bites him numerous times and acts out in violent displays, Tom realizes he is in for a challenge.
-
-
Wildflowers And Drunken Butterfly Dances
- By Gillian on 05-06-17
By: Tom Ryan
-
Trooper
- The Bobcat Who Came in from the Wild
- By: Forrest Bryant Johnson
- Narrated by: Barry Abrams
- Length: 8 hrs and 6 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Whenever middle-aged desert tour guide Forrest Bryant Johnson went out on his daily walks into the Mojave, all was usually peaceful and serene. But one beautiful summer day in 1987, Forrest heard a cry of distress. Following the cries, he came upon a small bobcat kitten, injured, orphaned, and desperately in need of help. So Forrest took his new feline friend home for a night.
-
-
I had to stop listening for awhile because I didn’t want the story to end
- By Tracy on 01-28-20
-
Wild Things, Wild Places
- Adventurous Tales of Wildlife and Conservation on Planet Earth
- By: Jane Alexander
- Narrated by: Jane Alexander
- Length: 10 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
A moving, inspiring, personal look at the vastly changing world of wildlife on planet earth as a result of human incursion, and the crucial work of animal and bird preservation across the globe being done by scientists, field biologists, zoologists, environmentalists, and conservationists.
By: Jane Alexander
-
My Life with the Chimpanzees
- By: Jane Goodall
- Narrated by: Jane Goodall
- Length: 3 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
From the time she was a girl, Jane Goodall dreamed of a life spent working with animals. Finally she had her wish. When she was 26 years old, she ventured into the forests of Africa to observe chimpanzees in the wild. On her expeditions she braved the dangers with leopards and lions in the African bush. And she got to know an amazing group of wild chimpanzees - intelligent animals whose lives, in work and play and family relationships, bear a surprising resemblance to our own.
-
-
Love Jane, message & superbly crafted soundscapes!
- By Deb Tyler on 06-25-20
By: Jane Goodall
-
A Dog's Life
- The Autobiography of a Stray
- By: Ann M. Martin
- Narrated by: Wendy Dillon
- Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Squirrel is not like most dogs. Born a stray, she must make her own way in the world, facing busy highways, changing seasons, and humans both gentle and brutal. Her life story, in her own words, is marked by loss, but also by an inspiring instinct to survive. And when it seems she will roam the woods and country roads alone forever, Squirrel makes two friends who, in very different ways, define her fate.At once heartrending and hopeful, Ann Martin’s exquisite story of a dog’s life is told with her trademark grace and insight.
-
-
wonderful book
- By Jcsmitz1 on 06-04-07
By: Ann M. Martin
What listeners say about Zooburbia
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
- Tom
- 02-03-15
A wonderful story, beautifully narrated.
Would you listen to Zooburbia again? Why?
Yes. The visuals are so clear and explicit, and the story is interesting and often fascinating.
Who was your favorite character and why?
The Narrator - very descriptive and interesting.
Which character – as performed by tami joy – was your favorite?
The Narrator.
Any additional comments?
I highly recommend this audiobook!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
You voted on this review!
You reported this review!