"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"With this abundant narrative of Marc Bekoff a new age of intimacy between humans and animals has begun. The companionship, the play, the healing, the guidance, the protection provided by the animals, all these will be needed in the future as never before. Everyone should read
Minding Animals, an amazingly thorough, delightful, and most important book." --Thomas Berry, author of
The Dream of the Earth and
The Great Work"For those of us who have immersed ourselves in the well being of life forms other than human, the fact that they communicate and have feelings is as natural and understandable as breathing. Through this lens we see clearly how their well being is intricately interconnected with our own. In
Minding Animals Marc Bekoff has done a wonderful job of showing us how learning to understand and 'mind' animals and their behavior leads us to recognize their feelings as well. Through their layers, we find even more richness and joy of life as we glimpse into ever deepe parts of ourselves. This book is fun, inspiring, thought-provoking and educational! What a great mix!" --Julia Butterfly Hill, author of
The Legacy of Luna: The Story of a Tree, a Woman, and the Struggle to Save the Redwoods"Just as the best doctors attain detailed and compassionate knowledge of the uniqueness of each patient, so too do the best behavioral biologists--with Marc Bekoff prominently among them--learn to recognize each animal as a distinct individual with its own internal life and experiences. By minding animals, we obtain our best scientific understanding of their evolution and behavior." --Stephen Jay Gould, author of
The Structure of Evolutionary Theory"Except for relatively minor specializations that relate to whether we walk, run, fly or swim, all we vertebrate animals are physically stunningly similar. Most would also agree that the brain is an organ, as are stomachs, kidneys, and hearts, designed with functions and capacities useful for survival in often complex and indirect ways. There is no evidence, however, that what the brain does differs fundamentally across various species of vertebrates. Differences are in degree with respect to specific functions. In this readable, wide-ranging, and very stimulating book, Marc Bekoff takes this larger holistic view as a basis for a passionate exploration of how we should treat, and what we owe, our fellow-vertebrate creatures, who likely have many emotional and sensory survival mechanisms similar to our own." --Bernd Heinrich, University of Vermont, author of
Mind of the Raven