Minding Animals : Awareness, Emotions, And Heart Hardcover

Marc Bekoff

Minding Animals is concerned not only with the study of animal behaviour, but also with the innumerable ways in which humans interact with and intrude into the lives of our animal kin. The phrase "minding animals" is used in two ways. First, "minding animals" refers to caring for other animal beings, respecting them for who they are, appreciating their own world views, and wondering what and how they are feeling and why. The second meaning refers to the fact that many animals have very active and thoughtful minds. Throughout, the animals' point of view is stressed, based on the author's more than three decades of experience with a variety of animals. Minding Animals is a broad comparative, evolutionary, and ecological work that does not centre on nonhuman primates of one specific group of animals. After introducing himself in the field of ethology, the biological study of animal behaviour, Bekoff discusses behaviour patterns such as predatory behaviour, grooming and gossip, what animals know about what others know, self-medication, dreaming, sperm wars, and mate choice. The also discusses animal intelligence, emotions, and the evolution of social morality. The final chapters deal with the nature of human interactions with animals - how we use them for education, research, clothing, and food, and how we "redecorate" nature by moving animals from one place to another. Bekoff argues that we need more socially responsible and compassionate science to make progress solving the problems that we have created. He concludes that love is the answer and that we must connect with and love other animals, other humans, and all environments if we are to continue to live in harmony on this wondrous and interconnected planet.

9780195150773

English

Oxford University Press Inc

01-08-2002

244

Marc Bekoff is Professor of Biology at the Unviersity of Colorado, Boulder, and is a fellow of the Animal Behavior Society and a former Guggenheim Fellow. He was recently awarded the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society for major long-term contributions to the field of animal behavior. Marc is also the regional coordinator for Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots programme. He and Jane have recently co-founded the organization Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals: Citizens for Responsible Animal Behavior Studies (www.ethologicalethics.com). Marc is also on the Advisory Board for the conservation organization, SINAPU, and in part of the international programme, Science and the Spiritual Quest II.

"To find out about the rich emotional life of nonhuman species, read Minding Animals."--Natural History "A book with both brains and a heart.... Bekoff joins courageous figures such as the anthropologist Frans de Waal and the maverick biologist Rupert Sheldrake in their attempt to make humans recognise and respect non-human animals' complex sentient and emotional lives."--Sunday Telegraph