The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History

by Brian M. Fagan

New York Times bestselling author of The Attacking Ocean Brian Fagan shows how the powerful bond between Homo sapiens and other species has shaped our civilization and our character.

From the first wolf to find companionship in our prehistoric ancestors' camp, to the beasts who bore the weight of our early empires, to the whole spectrum of brutally exploited or absurdly pampered pets of our industrial age, animals--and our ever-changing relationship with them--have left an indelible mark on the history of our species and continue to shape its future.

Through an in-depth analysis of six truly transformative human-animal relationships, Fagan shows how our habits and our very way of life were considerably and irreversibly altered by our intimate bond with animals. Among other stories, Fagan explores how herding changed human behavior; how the humble donkey helped launch the process of globalization; and how the horse carried a hearty band of nomads across the world and toppled the emperor of China.

With characteristic care and penetrating insight, Fagan reveals the profound influence that animals have exercised on human history and how, in fact, they often drove it.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Animals, Science, Archaeology, Anthropology, Audiobook

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 14, 2015

About the author

Brian Murray Fagan was a British author of popular archaeology books and a professor emeritus of Anthropology at the University of California, Santa Barbara.

Reviews

[Clif Hostetler · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a history of the relationship between animals and humans. It's good to be reminded of this relationship because we tend to forget how dependent the development of human civilization was on animals. Humans today are probably more independent of and separated from other animals than at any other time in the history of human life on this earth. Today cars, trains and trucks transport goods including food to the cities where most people live. Eggs, milk and meat are eaten by most people with little thought about where these things come from.

This book begins with speculation about how and where first encounters between species occurred. DNA analysis has enabled scientist to determine the probable geographic locations of the first domestications of many animals. In many ways the development of tool usage and domestication of animals went hand in hand. Animals just happen to be tools that were alive.

One of my motivations for listening to this book was to see if the book supported one of my pet theories as to why modern humans prevailed over the Neanderthals. My theory is that modern humans more effectively used dogs as guards and hunters giving them a competitive edge. This book makes no mention of this, though the early use of dogs is certainly discussed.

One animal that gets high praise in this book is the donkey. The book refers to them as "the pickup trucks of early history." They enabled the development of international commerce during the Bronze Age. Their role was partly replaced a couple centuries before Christ by the camel. However, the camel was a relative late comer to the world of transport.

Of course the book mentions all the common farm animals such as sheep, pigs, and cattle. Horses take up a large part of the second half of the book. Cats and chickens are covered but their coverage is relatively short.

Toward the end of the book there's discussion about how animals have been treated and continue to be treated. Needless to say, they have not always been treated well. But humans haven't always been treat well either. So let's just say they human/animal history is not all sugar and spice and things nice.

The following information is NOT from this book, but I'm including it here for my own future reference. I find this article from Time Magazine interesting because it is a reminder of how finely tuned the selective breeding of dogs has been able to develop a species that can read human facial expressions and hand gestures better than our closest biological relatives, the apes.

Understanding a pointed finger may seem easy, but consider this: while humans and canines can do it naturally, no other known species in the animal kingdom can.
http://content.time.com/time/magazine...

[Nicky · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn’t a bad book in terms of examining the relationship between humans and animals, and their impact on us… as long as you’re talking about the positive impact. The impact on health of close contact with animals leading to zoonotic illnesses is skipped entirely, though, and domestication/farming is generally painted as an unambiguously good thing. Not that Fagan is wrong in saying that animals have impacted us for the better in many ways, but it felt one-sided — especially given that there are various animal diseases that have become endemic in humans which we’d be rather better off without, and which probably wouldn’t have adapted so well to humans if we hadn’t given them such excellent opportunities.

Still, it’s an interesting book and Fagan works with archaeological and genetic evidence to give as complete a picture as he can.

Reviewed for The Bibliophibian.

[Thomas Isern · Rating 3 out of 5]

The research is not as deep as claimed - check the notes, consider the episodic character of the narrative. I will keep the book for reference, as it identifies some main lines to consider in the historic relationships of humankind and domestic animals, including livestock. There are some annoying features of organization, or perhaps design. The boxes - if the material is worthy, put it into the narrative. The little imagined prologues for chapters - useless, and damaging to credibility. In general the writer relies heavily on considerations of probability - it must or might have happened this way or that - without being clear as to grounding.

[Jana Light · Rating 2 out of 5]

Trajectory of human-animal relationships:

* look, fellow animals doing animal things
* let's feed this wolf some snacks
* oooo these things help us move stuff!
* ooooo people think I'm fancy if I own big ones
* PEOPLE THINK I'M A MANLY MAN IF I KILL LOTS AND I MEAN LOTS OF BIG ONES
* awwwww kitteh snuggless
* let's pen up and brutally slaughter as many as we can fit into our drooling maws
* oh, maybe we should treat animals with a modicum of respect (big props to Buddhism, Montaigne, and Benham)
** The US says eff that the end

The in-depth analysis basically ended with the Victorian Era, so the claims at the end about how we have made great strides but still have a long way to go felt rushed and a little unfounded. There has been a lot of movement regarding animal cruelty *and* about how our relationships with animals connects to climate change. That would have been great to end on. Ah, well.

[Brian Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fagan examines of our long-evolving relations with dogs, cattle, donkeys, horses, and camels. He makes no pretense of examining the feelings of these creatures, but delimits his account to the ways they changed human history. Also, the history pretty much ends with Victorian times -- just about the point when draft animals were increasingly eliminated from our cities, movements for the humane treatment of animals got started, and human domination of the landscape seemed to reach the last frontiers. Since that time, our relations with animals have reached new highs of empathy and new lows of abuse and extermination, but maybe that's for another book.

[Elentarri · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Intimate Bond is an introductory text that takes a look at the historical relationship between humans and animals. Fagan deals mostly with the domestication and uses of wolves/dogs, sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, donkeys, horses, and camels. Each chapter begins with a speculative fictional narrative. Then Fagan makes use of anthropology/ paleontological information with a passing mention of any relevant DNA studies to show us when and how domestication took place and then what uses that particular animal had - usually as food, means of transport or raw material for clothing. Fagan also adds a fair amount of his romantic idea of pre-industrial farming. The chapter on donkeys is particularly interesting in terms of the history of large scale trade caravans. The chapter on the use of horses in war is particularly depressing and horrifying. There are also several chapters dedicated to the past and present treatment of animals in Britain. Fagan does leave out completely the transfer of diseases (zoonoses) from domesticated animals to humans (e.g. TB), which I feel had an important influence on human society. None-the-less, an interesting historical perspecitve on the relationship between humans and their animals.

[Martin Rowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fagan, an anthropologist and an animal lover, explores the human–animal interaction ("bond" might be too strong a word given Fagan's disgust at the exploitation of, and cruelty meted out to, animals over the centuries) from prehistory to today. The author concentrates his attention on domestic animals: cattle, pigs, sheep/goats, horses, donkeys, camels, dogs, and cats, and he details how human beings have used and abused them. He is most informative on our prehistorical sense of the natural world and early human civilizations' encounter and domestication of certain animals, and he's most passionate about the horrors that attended the lives of animals once they'd become mere machines or "meat on the hoof." Fagan also shows that systemic cruelty toward animals existed before intensive animal agriculture and Cartesianism; and he also illustrates how care and concern for animals have existed for millennia and are not merely a modern, post-industrial quirk of those who no longer interact with farmed animals. The book makes an admirable (and more readable) companion volume to Richard Bulliet's HUNTERS, HERDERS, AND HAMBURGERS.

[Dayanara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History for free through Goodreads First Reads.
Intimate bond is written purely historical on how our interactions with animals was there since the beginning of time and the affect of the 'interact' have shape the way we live today.
Fagan gave great numbers of examples in the book like,the donkey, bulls and horses. In the book he describes what the animal was used for, how they lived and sometimes comes with a historical event that involves that particular animal. I have to say it was interesting and a wonderful learning experience. I did find some animals more interesting then others but that's my personal opinion. One thing I disagree with Fagan is pg 9 he said " A successful hunt that ended in a kill was thought of as proof of friendly relations between the hunter and his quarry, which willingly allowed itself to be killed." I believe every animal, insects, and human beings first instinct is to survive.

[Mike · Rating 4 out of 5]

The author takes us through a historical journey that connects us with other animal species. At times funny, fascinating and enlightening, it is also an effective narrative to show the cruel, savage, and blood thirsty elements of the human character in contrast to the animals we label cruel, savage and blood thirsty.

There are elements I really wanted more of - more of the origins of contact and the transition from wild to domestic. In some areas this is done with much more detail, which of course might mean there are more records.

Horses get a very large section in the book in comparison to some of the other species and there is some look at symbolism, but this, too, could have been more developed.

The criticism is not really a complaint, simply a desire for even more.

The intimate bond is certainly a parallel story to our own development as a species and the connections say a lot about history and how it has unraveled.

[Amanda (Books, Life and Everything Nice) · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting informative read about the role that animals have played in human history over many many years. I came into this book thinking it would be mainly about household pets with some other animal references too, but soon found learned all that animals have done for us over the years. Sheep, oxen, cattle, pigs, horses, camels and so many more animals have helped us survive. Animals allowed us to more easily move around, build cities, farm and fight wars. At times it was a little dull, but other parts were very interesting. I was reading about 50 pages a day, so I think that taking a little longer would have been better to absorb all of this new dense information. Lately when I finish a book, I like to ask myself if I'm glad I read it. For The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History the answer is yes, definitely.

[Jeffrey Fossi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I recently received Brian Fagan's The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History for free through Goodreads First Reads. I eagerly read this in one day. This is a must read for history fanatics and animal lovers. The author sought to fill a gap in books referring to the interaction of animals, and humans for mutual survival. I enjoyed the illustrations, maps and timelines included in the work. The author focused on eight animals that indelibly impacted our ability to survive, and hopefully for them to survive.

This book read more like a textbook, which I personally enjoy for certain topics. The only complain I had was the lack of an index, maybe in the official publication. I look forward to the next volume that includes cats, enjoy!

[Kristina Rogers · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book through the First Reads program. It's not the kind of book I generally pick up to read, but I have to say I learned a lot and enjoyed it a fair amount. It's dense, and maybe not a book you read all at once, but for animal-lovers and history buffs, it's gold.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A concise history, from prehistory to the modern era, of how the often barbaric and violent yet interdependent relationship between animals and humans evolved. Informative, insightful, and interesting.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Brian Fagan's book about animals. Being a cat lover I would have liked more about them but the book was good overall and as this is the second book of Brian's I look forward to reading his others.

[Judyta Szacillo · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book a lot, even though I was left unsatisfied in some respects. The writing is good and the contents are well-arranged too, but there's just not enough of it. The history of our relationships with animals described there is fragmentary. A number of subjects were only touched upon (like the domestication of birds, or the intensive animal farming of the last century); some issues weren't even mentioned (like the risks of animal diseases infecting humans). The main focus of the book is on cattle, draught animals, and dogs.

The proof-reading wasn't done very carefully. I had a chuckle at "the relationships between humans and nomadic herders" and 20-inches tall horsies (mounts for the little folk, apparently!).

Nevertheless, it's a great book that shows the major aspects of the history of our relationships with animals, and our understanding of our own place in the animal family.

[Stanley McShane · Rating 5 out of 5]

The anthropomorphic trend towards our dogs and cats cannot only be explained but understood in this expose' of the bond between humans and our animals, but the book is overwhelmingly compelling in the explanation of how animals actually changed the course of human history. From brutal exploitation to absurd devotion, ions in the transformation. Author Brian Fagan capably provided proof of animals interchange with humans almost as soon as they began walking upright; "The Intimate Bond-How Animals Shaped Human History" is not just conjecture or theory.

This is the story of eight major animals who played a part in civilizing, spreading, and multiplying the human race: dog, goat, sheep, pig, cattle, donkey, horse, and camel. Was it actually the canine who lead the human into domesticating or living in mutual respect with these other creatures? It would certainly seem so! The partnership of four of these ranch animals changed the way humans lived--no longer mainly nomadic....the beginning of farming and the taming of the land as well? Arguably so.

But as we see, the partnership with these four-legged beasts also opened up the world to us--the earth and it's land bridges spread civilization farther over the globe. From the growing knowledge of the possibilities each animal possessed came human exploitation until the mere possession of certain of these stock were the manifestation of great wealth and power. Unfortunately, exploitation resulted in untold millions being literally worked to death having known nothing more than human bidding the extent of their existence in woeful conditions.

It shouldn't have--humans have the capacity of rational thought, emotion, intelligence, and speech--but did take millennia for humans in a social context to realize that animals also in a social context experienced many of the same emotions and certainly pain that their human counter-parts did. Only since the middle of the nineteenth century have concerted efforts been made to create laws meant to protect creatures entrusted in our care.

In a strongly worded summary, Fagan quotes others as his own sentiments in that our justification of the handling of these beasts is morally indefensible. In the U.S. there have been few gains in the treatment of certain animals raised for companionship or food. It's easier not to put a face on the package of meat. As Brian Fagan passionately pleads "This leaves us humans with the responsibility, with a wrenching dilemma that pits morality and altruism against ruthless exploitation and self-interest." Indeed--powerful stuff! I was fortunate enough to win this book on Goodreads. This was a prepublication release and therefore still exhibit a few editing misses, but the powerful collection of the history and the animal's impact is formidable. We have the power--what are we going to do with it? Great book! Read it!

[Last Ranger · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Beasts of Man:

For thousands of years man has shared his life with animals of one kind or another. Some were hunting companions while others were sources of food and clothing. Still others were mere slaves that carried him beyond the horizon, into battle or in search of home. How did this unusual relationship come about? Where and when did it start? In "The Intimate Bond" (2015) archeologist Brian Fagan explorers this ancient covenant between man and his beasts. As far as we know the dog was the first to be domesticated some tens of thousands of years ago. Our Hunter-Gatherer ancestors lived in close association with the animal world and certainly the wolf was probably quite common wherever humans lived. Like man. wolves live in extended family groups of various sizes. A large pack could number 10 to 20 members but smaller packs of 3 to 10 were not uncommon. If we kept close tabs on "our" local packs then it's a given that those wolves were also watching us. This could work to the advantage of both species and the more we cooperated with one another the closer this relationship became. No one knows when or where the wolf started actually living with humans but happen it did and neither species has ever looked back. The same chain of events could also apply to the horse resulting in an animal that was useful for carrying heavy loads, traveling long distances, chores around the home or farm. Another useful trait was riding, on the hunt, into battle and on long journeys. Then there was other farm-animals such as cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. Besides the horse we domesticated the closely related donkey and unrelated camel for transporting goods over long distances and even ride as the need arose. Each animal has its own story of domestication and Fagan goes into what we know, and don't know, about each one. Cats are also covered to a lesser degree with evidence from Egypt and the Far East. Brian Fagan is the popular author of many book on archeology, covering human civilizations, migrations and unique cultures. His writing is easy to follow, knowledgeable without being overly technical and is ever interesting. In "The Intimate Bond" we learn how we humans came to share our world with various animals and how we treat those animals for their service; with love, cruelty or indifference. Sometimes the bond is mutually beneficial and sometimes merely exploitive. But however we categorize it, it was necessary for our survival. I had no technical or downloading problems with this Kindle edition.

Last Ranger

[HD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Informative but Lacks Depth.

While the book does provide valuable insights into the role animals played in shaping human history, it falls short in certain aspects. On the positive side, Fagan's research is evident, and he presents a wide range of examples to support his thesis.

It's clear that he has a deep knowledge of the subject matter, and the book is filled with fascinating anecdotes about our historical interactions with animals. The chapters on domestication and agriculture were particularly enlightening, shedding light on the profound impact animals have had on human civilization.

However, my disappointment with the book stems from its lack of depth in certain areas. The writing style, while accessible, often feels superficial, and I wished for a more in-depth exploration of some topics. Making it challenging to fully grasped the topics offered.

Conclusion: "The Intimate Bond" is a decent introduction to the subject of how animals influenced human history. It provides valuable information and interesting anecdotes but falls short in terms of depth and critical analysis. If you're looking for a broad overview of the topic, it's worth a read, but if you're seeking a more comprehensive and thought-provoking exploration, you may want to explore other books on the subject.

[Jennifer Benson · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting look at how humans bonded with animals and made them a part of their lives. It explores the mystical through the importance of work animals have made in the lives of humans through out history. The book is well researched and interesting. It covers birds, dogs, cats, sheep, horses, and cattle in rather great detail.

I had two favorite bits in the book, both coming in the beginning. The honeycomb birds. I had no idea such a thing existed. The fact that these precious little birds help lead humans by trills and distinct flight patterns then become still and silent once the human has found the location is simply amazing to me. The human then battles the bees and gets the honey comb out, keeps the honey and gives the honeycomb to the bird to eat. Beautiful!

The second has to do with wolves on the outskirt of society in ancient times. This is all ideals as to how the dog became domesticated. It just seems "right" in my head. Brian Fagan then goes on to explore how the wolf becomes ostracized by society once sheep and goats became valuable as they were domesticated and kept in pens.

I have limited experience with horses, but those chapters were just as much fun to read at the end. But the line about Genghis Khan advancing women's right had me laughing out loud.

[Steven · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using the fossil, genetic and historical record, Fagan briefly examines the domestication of eight species (dogs, pigs, sheep, goats, cattle, donkeys, horses and camels) and how that domestication affected their, and our, history. Any of these creatures could (and has) had volumes written about them, but it's interesting to have all of this in one place for comparison purposes, even if none of them can be covered in depth.

In addition to chapters on each of these animals, there are later chapters covering our treatment of these animals and how that has changed over time. The focus is on the west and on the Victorian era, and on the use of horses in warfare, which is downright gruesome. Not much mention is made of the modern practice of warehousing some of these species for meat and milk production -- I think that would have been a good thing to cover.

Still, it's hard to come away from this book without considering the effect domestication has had on animals and ourselves. A thought-provoking book. Oh -- and I'd never given donkeys much of a thought before. Respect.

[Brandi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Brian Fagan, in his book "The Intimate Bond: How Animals Shaped Human History" looks at the domestication of camels, dogs, horses, pigs, sheep, cattle, goats and donkeys. I was hoping for the inclusion of kitties (and even bunnies)! With each example, he looks at how the domestication of each species affected both the animal and humans. The author also discusses the current trend of industrial-scale abuse and cruelty of animals.
Overall, I was hoping for the inclusion of more species, but the book is quite interesting with the species the author did choose to inlude. It is well-researched and well-written. I would certainly read more of Mr. Fagan's works in the future. I won my copy of this book from the Goodreads.com website.

[Emily · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Intimate Bond took me almost a month to read... while I was on summer vacation. It started off very strong and was quite a compelling read, but the further into the book I got,the more laborious each page became. Too much of the book was wasted on speculation of what animals may have done or how they might have been domesticated, and far too much energy was spent explaining calvary, to the point where the latter chapters  seemed a different book altogether.

[Tadas Talaikis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Several random, related or not so questions with this book.

1. If animals according to Cartesians (and *c*hristians) are distinct from humans, they don't feel pain, etc., why then you don't make spectacles of vivisection like before? Lost your faith, *diot?

2. If thousand of rabbits make another ten thousands in your farm who created this economy? Most cultural conditioning would say - "me", problem is your local GDP calculations are wrong, as your rabbits eaten the continent.

[Deena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written and researched. I was leery about reading this because I am sensitive about animal cruelty, but I was able to get through the tougher parts. My only real criticism, if you can call it that, is that the author frequently speaks in absolutes (never/always) and historical research frequently leads to new and different findings, making changes to previously known and/or accepted facts. Allow for the ambiguity; we're always learning!

[Joseph O'Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting book. I have some knowledge of how domestication of animals changed human societies but I didn’t know the details. The author struck a good balance of not being so technical that the narrative was hard to understand and being detailed enough to make the book interesting and informative.

[Wiebke Kuhn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting new knowledge for me - evidence of when animals were domesticated and how (dogs, cats, sheep, goats, cattle, horses), with a later focus on England and its (ab)use of animals. Very readable.

[Maura Heaphy Dutton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting and enlightening.

Rating non-fiction, imho, is really hard. Unless it's transcendently, life-transformingly good. Unless it's really, really bad: clunky writing, stupid errors that even an amateur notices, downright, egregiously wrong. What can you say? It does what it says on the tin?

The Intimate Bond does what it says on the tin, and I felt that I learned something. (The other thing you can say ...) I felt my interest waning as Fagan progressed from earliest history -- yes, all the points that he made about our relationships with (treatment of) animals in the modern era were interesting, thoughtful, humane, often horrifying. (I began to seriously question my choice to listen to the audiobook as I was driving, particularly Fagan's vivid, sometimes sickening account of the fate of cavalry horses in the Crimean War and the charge of the Light Brigade ....)

But as I listened, I realised that what I was interested in, what I had signed on for, was to hear about how man and aniimal had overcome their instinctive distrust of each other, and how their relationship had evolved. Which is my definition of "how animals shaped human history." As we came ever closer to modern day, it became more like "how human history shaped animals."

My one real quibble -- CATS!!?? What about CATS, sir? Turns out that Dr. Fagan is a cat lover (as he should be), and there's a very funny aside in (as I recall) Chapter 15 about his cats "helping" him at his keyboard, a scene that any cat lover can identify with. There are a couple of short (tooo short, in this reader's humble opinion) sections about how cats were domesticated (IF they were ever domesticated, lets be honest here -- We all know that cats were worshipped in Ancient Egypt, and they have never forgotten that ...), and the rise of cat fancying in the 19th century. But the true cat-lover cries out for more!

[Elizabeth Gabhart · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read the first chapter and couldn't get any further. 1) The author's own accounts contradict each other. For example, did ancient hunters treat the bodies of animals they killed with respect, or did the take what they wanted and leave the rest of the carcass to rot? He paints both pictures in one paragraph, describing one cultural group.

2) I'm pretty sure I spotted a factual error on the third page of the first chapter. He writes that ancient hunter groups and animal herds lived close to each other for months or years, close enough to get to know one another as individuals, before the hunters would kill. If this were true, then why have most of the animals in Africa evolved a healthy fear of humans? I don't think this idea can possibly be true, and the rest of the chapter waxes poetic about how ancient hunters knew the animals they killed as individuals.

3) This author seems to be committing the same error many people commit -- assuming that ancient people were noble savages and very different than us. It's a romantic notion that needs to die. It's not true, and it's based on 400-year-old racist ideas.

4) The nail in the coffin for me continuing to read this book is the grammar errors. A professionally-edited book shouldn't leave me re-reading nonsense sentences to figure out what it's supposed to say.

This book was a whole lot of nope for me.

[Fred Krause · Rating 1 out of 5]

When purchasing this book I lead myself to believe that it was a treatise on archaeological and scientific evidence on the domestication and societal interaction of people and animals. Instead I found it to be new age supposition about animal domestication that was 99% fiction. What was off putting was the noble savage mentality assumed for our remote ancestors. I did not finish the book - I started at about 20% through to jump forward through the chapters - I should have stopped when in the introduction the author implied that that animals had a right to personhood. I assume that this book is on PETAs must read reading list.

Let me say that I am for the humane treatment of animals - what bothers me is that I should have been more diligent when deciding to buy this book. I have read other books by Brian Fagan and found them very readable- as I state above I thought I was getting a different book.

[Thu · Rating 4 out of 5]

Surprisingly very enjoyable and insightful. Humankind turns out to be not that kind to other nonhumans, and this is beyond my basic knowledge of the maltreatments farm animals face. It's very eye-opening to learn how animals have had an invisible role in shaping our history, and how our attitude toward them has drastically changed (for the worse) from the foraging era to the agricultural and industrial evolution. I looked at my kitties and felt so bad for how dogs and cats were treated back then, but what about chickens and cows right now? And the unexpected (but should have been foreseen) ways animal maltreatment reinforces social hierarchy and inequality really shows how every injustice is interconnected; you cannot fight for one's right while disregarding the context it is baked in.