Sentinels: when diseases spread between animals and humans

by Michael Dulaney

Humans have long observed animals for warnings of danger. Diseases and the growing threat of contagion reveal our close ties to animals. Viruses leap from bats to camels to humans. Cats catch the flu, and tourists pass tuberculosis onto elephants.

And now, exploitation of the environment is causing more diseases to jump species than ever before – a threat to life rivalling climate change. The science is the cause of this great acceleration is us.

In Sentinel, Michael Dulaney tells the gripping stories of the people and animals at the forefront of this enormous change. Of ecologists tracking flying foxes through Australia's eastern forests, and frog-hunters netting endangered species on Indonesian mountains. And of lemmings that resist global warming, of coastal seals with bird flu, and genetically engineered disease-proof pigs.

Combining vivid field reporting with natural history, these stories move beyond the fear of contagion to explore the beauty and resilience of life, and the human capacity to regenerate as much as to destroy.

349 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 4, 2026

About the author

Michael Dulaney’s writing explores humanity’s links with the rest of non-human nature in the climate crisis. He was a reporter at the ABC for more than a decade, and his environment writing has been published by The Monthly, Literary Hub, The Big Issue, and the BBC, among others. He won the Overland Fair Australia Prize, and was a 2024 Climate Futures Fellow at the State Library Victoria.

Reviews

[Carrie Taylor]

Michael Dulaney has pulled off an impressive feat in seamlessly unifying sprawling timelines, vast geographies, legions of species and ecosystems, and complex zoonotic relationships into a cohesive, compelling narrative.

While readers will certainly reckon with the gravity of what lies ahead and the damage already done by capitalism’s relentless extraction and hunger for profit, it is the stories of unwavering human devotion and the refusal to relinquish hope that linger long after closing this book.

Balanced with unexpected humor, delightful historical peculiarities, and meticulously researched and well-explained animal-human interactions, Sentinels is ultimately an incredibly enjoyable, heartening, and thought-provoking read.

[Cindy]

A fascinating, well-researched, and, in many ways horrifying, book about the major diseases that have crossed from animals to humans, with a dire warning about more to come. As we move animals out of their natural environments into corporate agriculture, as we pave the forests, as we squeeze every last bit of profit out of ventures, we bring these diseases upon ourselves. Valley Fever, kicked up in SW windstorms (haboobs), is now understood and treatable with anti-fungals, but what scary and mysterious disease is just around the corner? This well written and well narrated audiobook got me thinking — and kept me up at night!
The author traveled widely from his Australian home, researching and meeting with experts around the world. The result is a book I’ve already started recommending to people I know with an interest in science, nature, travel, and health. 5⭐️s!
My thanks to the author, @MichaelDulaney, publisher, @BolindaAudio, and #NetGalley for access to the audiobook #Sentinals for review purposes. It is now available.

[Steve]

I loved the discussions about how diseases spread between humans and other animals. I also liked the author’s journey, the biographies of the scientists, and the conversational tone. To me, the major flaw of the book was the lack of balance between discussing zoonoses and broader social issues. There was too little on the former and too much on the latter for my taste. I also found some of the detours the book took were too extensive. While the writing was conversational, I also felt that the book was lecturing me from a soapbox. I suspect that readers who want to read about broader social issues will enjoy the book more than I did. Thank you to Edelweiss and Scribe Publications for the digital review copy.

[Jamie Polivka]

Since the outbreak of Covid-19, nearly everyone is familiar with zoonotic viruses. In this book, the reader learns of other zoonotic viruses, past/present/[unfortunately]future.

I enjoyed the intersection of ecology, virology, and climate change. So many of these viruses follow exportation paths and affect the places and populations that are also affected by over consumption or exploitation of resources (mostly animals).

There are so many viruses that are just waiting in the wings for an outbreak. Understudied because of underfunding, a vicious cycle.

Very interesting book! Accessible to the general reader and in depth enough to hold the attention of seasoned biology/science readers.

[Bona.Fide.Bibliophile]

Considering Sentinels (the book not the animal!) was only released a month or so ago, I suspect we will see it around once word gets out. Such a timely book, being well researched and well written, it was informative without being dense. The scope was broad, but this did come at the expense of depth, although, it will make it more accessible to a variety of readers. However, I would have like to have seen information presented about the pathogenesis of zoonotic diseases, considering the book is about sentinels. Instead, there was a focus on the human impact and responsibilities, which of course plays a significant role but there were additional topics that perhaps should have been covered in a book like this.

[Sheree Joseph]

Visceral, vivid and propulsive, Michael Dulaney’s writing is impossible to put down. A staggering feat of investigative reporting, Sentinels pulses with heart while asking the urgent questions of our time. Dulaney plunges us into tiny worlds with enormous consequences, rendering a piercing portrait of the world as it is and an honest look at what lies ahead, while leaving the reader with something rarer still: hope. Armed with knowledge, perhaps we can finally face the long-overdue reckoning.

[Louise]

Oh gosh this was Fabulous.

Fascinating. Wide ranging. Engagingly written. Often scary. Especially listening to the bird flu chapter in the weeks after that virus arrived on the Australian coast.

I learnt so much. Highly recommended.

[Louise]

What an enjoyable read! I am a retired biologist and consider myself reasonaly well informed. But the author surprised me again and again!

[Angi]

I seriously loved this book. It covers a wide range of species including some you'd expect (like bats) some exotic to my own culture (like camels), some endemic to my own culture (like pigs and cows), plus many more. It puts everything into perspective vis à vis the current state of humanity and choices we're making across cultures that profoundly and permanently change life on earth. Days later I still find myself thinking about this book. Some of the characters he introduces are so fascinating. Plus I find myself wondering about adjustments I might make in my own life, in a way I haven't done much since reading Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. This book feels important as well as entertaining. Strongly recommended.

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NOTE: I received a free copy of this audiobook in exchange for a review expressing my personal opinions.