Whether perceived as excessive, just right or too small, animal numbers matter to the humans with whom they share environments. Animals in the right numbers are accepted and even welcomed, but as they are seen to deviate from the human-declared set point, they become enemies upon whom to declare war or victims to be protected. In a new collection, Animals Count, edited by Nancy Cushing and Jodi Frawley, leading and emerging scholars investigate the ways in which the size of an animal population impacts on how they are viewed by humans and, conversely, how animals are affected by human perceptions of the correctness of their numbers.

In this fast-paced roundtable hosted by Libby Robin, contributors to the collection will be allotted five minutes in which to make the case for why their animal subject 'counts' in history. From cane toads to silver eyes, and from beche-de-mer to mosquitoes, claims that particular animals were excessive or abundant, in equilibrium or scarce will be examined and contested. Ruth Morgan will provide her response to the book, followed by a general discussion.