Note: "Saved by Bed Bugs" is no longer available through the publisher but can be obtained by contacting Lois Richter, who helped edit the book, at (530) 758-5058 or 2lois@gotouring.com.

In his recently published memoir, "Saved by Bed Bugs," UC Davis Professor Emeritus Walter "Howdy" Howard provides a wide-ranging account of, among many things, his adventures as a ski trooper during World War II, his work against typhus in Burma and his often controversial ideas about wildlife management.

A wildlife biologist and animal ecologist in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology, Howard was born and raised in Davis.

In his book, which contains more than 260 color photos, Howard chronicles his experiences growing up in Davis, and studying at UC Berkeley and the University of Michigan. He served during World War II in the National Ski Troops on Alaska's Kiska Island and later with the USA Typhus Commission in Burma.

In 1947, he joined the faculty of what was then the Division of Agricultural Zoology at the UC Farm at Davis. Howard notes that his "pragmatic views" of nature and of wildlife management have often been controversial, as revealed in a chapter on his academic struggles.

"To preserve the best possible balance of species in human-modified environments, people must sometimes help out by becoming a surrogate predator, thus filling an essential role in nature," he writes.

Howard's research and teaching career took him to 80 countries. He was the major professor for 44 doctoral and master's degree students and authored more than 500 articles, books and reports. Most concerned ecology, animal behavior, animal welfare, and how people and animals can best cohabit in environments that have been modified by people.

Although he retired in 1987, Howard continues, at age 87, to go in daily to his campus office and retains an active interest in his field. He anticipates publication this fall of another book, entitled "Why Nature Needs Us."

"Saved by Bed Bugs" is published by Global Publishing Services of Bend, Ore.