What do you think?
Rate this book
Animalkind: Remarkable Discoveries About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion
The founder and president of PETA, Ingrid Newkirk, and bestselling author Gene Stone explore the wonders of animal life and offer tools for living more kindly toward them.
In the last few decades, a wealth of new information has emerged about who animals are—intelligent, aware, and empathetic. Studies show that animals are astounding beings with intelligence, emotions, intricate communications networks, and myriad abilities. In Animalkind, Ingrid Newkirk and Gene Stone present these findings in a concise and awe-inspiring way, detailing a range of surprising discoveries: that geese fall in love and stay with a partner for life, that fish “sing” underwater, and that elephants use their trunks to send subsonic signals, alerting other herds to danger miles away.
Newkirk and Stone pair their tour of the astounding lives of animals with a guide to the exciting new tools that allow humans to avoid using or abusing animals as we once did. They show readers what they can do in their everyday lives to ensure that the animal world is protected from needless harm. Whether it’s medicine, product testing, entertainment, clothing, or food, there are now better options to all the uses animals once served in human life. We can substitute warmer, lighter faux fleece for wool, choose vegan versions of everything from shrimp to sausage and milk to marshmallows, reap the benefits of medical research that no longer requires monkeys to be caged in laboratories, and scrap captive orca exhibits and elephant rides for virtual reality and animatronics.
Animalkind is a fascinating study of why our fellow living beings deserve our respect, and moreover, the steps every reader can take to put this new understanding into action.
In the last few decades, a wealth of new information has emerged about who animals are—intelligent, aware, and empathetic. Studies show that animals are astounding beings with intelligence, emotions, intricate communications networks, and myriad abilities. In Animalkind, Ingrid Newkirk and Gene Stone present these findings in a concise and awe-inspiring way, detailing a range of surprising discoveries: that geese fall in love and stay with a partner for life, that fish “sing” underwater, and that elephants use their trunks to send subsonic signals, alerting other herds to danger miles away.
Newkirk and Stone pair their tour of the astounding lives of animals with a guide to the exciting new tools that allow humans to avoid using or abusing animals as we once did. They show readers what they can do in their everyday lives to ensure that the animal world is protected from needless harm. Whether it’s medicine, product testing, entertainment, clothing, or food, there are now better options to all the uses animals once served in human life. We can substitute warmer, lighter faux fleece for wool, choose vegan versions of everything from shrimp to sausage and milk to marshmallows, reap the benefits of medical research that no longer requires monkeys to be caged in laboratories, and scrap captive orca exhibits and elephant rides for virtual reality and animatronics.
Animalkind is a fascinating study of why our fellow living beings deserve our respect, and moreover, the steps every reader can take to put this new understanding into action.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2020
151 people are currently reading
1455 people want to read
About the author
Ingrid Newkirk
43 books57 followersIngrid E. Newkirk is a British animal rights activist and the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the world's largest animal rights organization. She is the author of several books, including Making Kind Choices (2005) and The PETA Practical Guide to Animal Rights: Simple Acts of Kindness to Help Animals in Trouble (2009). Newkirk has worked for the animal-protection movement since 1972. Under her leadership in the 1970s as the District of Columbia's first female poundmaster, legislation was passed to create the first spay/neuter clinic in Washington, D.C., as well as an adoption program and the public funding of veterinary services, leading her to be among those chosen in 1980 as Washingtonians of the Year.
Newkirk founded PETA in March 1980 with fellow animal rights activist Alex Pacheco. They came to public attention in 1981, during what became known as the Silver Spring monkeys case, when Pacheco photographed 17 macaque monkeys being experimented on inside the Institute of Behavioral Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. The case led to the first police raid in the United States on an animal research laboratory and to an amendment in 1985 to the Animal Welfare Act. Since then, Newkirk has led campaigns to stop the use of animals in crash tests, convinced companies to stop testing cosmetics on animals, pressed for higher welfare standards from the meat industry, and organized undercover investigations that have led to government sanctions against companies, universities, and entertainers who use animals. She is known, in particular, for the media stunts that she organizes to draw attention to animal-protection issues. In her will, for example, she has asked that her skin be turned into wallets, her feet into umbrella stands, and her flesh into "Newkirk Nuggets", then grilled on a barbecue. "We are complete press sluts", she told The New Yorker in 2003: "It is our obligation. We would be worthless if we were just polite and didn't make any waves."
Although PETA takes a gradualist approach to improving animal welfare, Newkirk remains committed to ending animal use and the idea that, as PETA's slogan says, "animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment". Some animal rights abolitionists, most notably Gary Francione, have criticized PETA, calling it and other groups "the new welfarists". Some members of the animal advocacy movement have responded that Francione's position is unnecessarily divisive. Newkirk has also been criticized for her support of actions carried out in the name of the Animal Liberation Front. Newkirk's position is that the animal rights movement is a revolutionary one and that "[t]hinkers may prepare revolutions, but bandits must carry them out". PETA itself, however, "maintains a creed of nonviolence and does not advocate actions in which anyone, human or nonhuman, is injured". Newkirk and PETA have also been criticized for euthanizing many of the animals taken into PETA's shelters, including healthy pets, and opposition to the whole notion of pets, and her position that "There's no rational basis for saying that a human being has special rights. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy," as well as seemingly seeing eradication as a goal. PETA has responded to this line of criticism.
Newkirk founded PETA in March 1980 with fellow animal rights activist Alex Pacheco. They came to public attention in 1981, during what became known as the Silver Spring monkeys case, when Pacheco photographed 17 macaque monkeys being experimented on inside the Institute of Behavioral Research in Silver Spring, Maryland. The case led to the first police raid in the United States on an animal research laboratory and to an amendment in 1985 to the Animal Welfare Act. Since then, Newkirk has led campaigns to stop the use of animals in crash tests, convinced companies to stop testing cosmetics on animals, pressed for higher welfare standards from the meat industry, and organized undercover investigations that have led to government sanctions against companies, universities, and entertainers who use animals. She is known, in particular, for the media stunts that she organizes to draw attention to animal-protection issues. In her will, for example, she has asked that her skin be turned into wallets, her feet into umbrella stands, and her flesh into "Newkirk Nuggets", then grilled on a barbecue. "We are complete press sluts", she told The New Yorker in 2003: "It is our obligation. We would be worthless if we were just polite and didn't make any waves."
Although PETA takes a gradualist approach to improving animal welfare, Newkirk remains committed to ending animal use and the idea that, as PETA's slogan says, "animals are not ours to eat, wear, experiment on, or use for entertainment". Some animal rights abolitionists, most notably Gary Francione, have criticized PETA, calling it and other groups "the new welfarists". Some members of the animal advocacy movement have responded that Francione's position is unnecessarily divisive. Newkirk has also been criticized for her support of actions carried out in the name of the Animal Liberation Front. Newkirk's position is that the animal rights movement is a revolutionary one and that "[t]hinkers may prepare revolutions, but bandits must carry them out". PETA itself, however, "maintains a creed of nonviolence and does not advocate actions in which anyone, human or nonhuman, is injured". Newkirk and PETA have also been criticized for euthanizing many of the animals taken into PETA's shelters, including healthy pets, and opposition to the whole notion of pets, and her position that "There's no rational basis for saying that a human being has special rights. A rat is a pig is a dog is a boy," as well as seemingly seeing eradication as a goal. PETA has responded to this line of criticism.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
July 29, 2025
It starts out gently enough with the kind of anthropomorphism you’d probably expect. The very first paragraph refers to an emperor penguin protecting its “child,” the second dolphins “smiling at us from the water.” That’s not a sin in itself, but it signals a tone that leans more on emotional appeal than clarity or precision. That might be fine in a children’s story, but when you’re trying to persuade skeptical readers about ethical reform, the rhetoric matters.
Next come some “amazing animal” stories, which are interesting. Maybe a few of them stretch credulity a bit, or maybe a cat really did walk from Utah to Seattle, I don’t know. It’s entertaining anyway.
But then comes this anecdote about Rene Descartes, who I’ll grant wasn’t exactly an animal lover, he considered them machines:
“Descartes’ contempt for animals was so legendary that he supposedly once nailed his wife’s live dog to a wall and sliced the poor soul open to examine her organs”.
It would take you 10 seconds to learn that Descartes never had a wife, and not many more to discover there is no credible evidence that that ever happened. The word “supposedly” doesn’t excuse the inaccuracy, especially when the claim is emotionally loaded and easily disproved.
It’s just a story right? It matters because there’s no need to invent cruelty when history (and the present) is overflowing with documented examples. The truth is horrific enough. Fabricating atrocities that are manipulative and factually wrong cheapens the message. It undermines trust, weakens the credibility of the author, and gives ammunition to people who want to dismiss the entire argument. If you’re advocating for animals or exposing human mistreatment, you owe it to readers and animals alike to get it right. Otherwise, you’re turning a serious issue into a cartoon.
A little further along they write:
“Think meat makes you big and buff? Consider these giants who mainly eat fruit shoots and leaves.”
Then they list off gorillas and elephants and bison and yaks.
And I have to ask: what’s the point? Am I supposed to eat like a yak? Can I change my digestive system so that it ferments roots like a gorilla and allows me to eat for 12 hours a day?
Maybe I should lighten up.
Or maybe they should focus on the ethical, environmental, or health motivations for reducing meat consumption. Humans don’t need meat to survive, we can be healthy without it, but, and it’s strange that this needs saying—we are not gorillas. Invoking them is empty rhetoric. It says nothing meaningful about human nutrition or ethics.
Next come the usual shaky arguments, including lines like “the first primate was a committed vegan.” There’s also the claim that humans are “natural herbivores” rather than what we really are: opportunists. But honestly, what would that even prove?
Then the book takes a more troubling turn, especially in an age where wellness influencers sell false hope and social media amplifies misleading anecdotes:
“In some cases a plant-based diet can reverse cancer”
From there it cherrypicks a study by Dean Ornish that had some promising results. But none of the necessary caveats are offered:
The study involved only early-stage, localized prostate cancer, not advanced or metastatic cases.The intervention included diet, supplements, exercise, stress management, and social support, so diet alone wasn’t isolated. The results were based on PSA levels, not tumor shrinkage (which is what most people imagine when they hear “reversed cancer”).
There may have been delays in progression, which would certainly be good. But there was no reversal, and describing it that way is misleading. Later and larger studies didn’t find any delay in progression from increased vegetable intake. Unsurprisingly, those go unmentioned.
This kind of statement undermines legitimate lifestyle medicine. The study was important and diet can influence cancer risk and progression. But when results are exaggerated or stripped of context it breeds distrust.
Then there’s this striking claim:
“Large scale studies have shown that children raised on a vegan diet grow to be about an inch taller on average than their meat eating peers”.
There’s not even a citation for that, and frankly it’s hard to imagine any credible researcher making that assertion, let alone omitting every variable that might explain it.
It’s no pleasure to pick apart a book whose mission is to reduce suffering in the world. I wasn’t reading it as an opponent. But they have to do better. The ethical and environmental arguments for plant-based living are already compelling. Resorting to pseudoscience, exaggeration, and half-truths only weakens the case and plays right into the hands of critics who dismiss animal rights activism as unserious.
Next come some “amazing animal” stories, which are interesting. Maybe a few of them stretch credulity a bit, or maybe a cat really did walk from Utah to Seattle, I don’t know. It’s entertaining anyway.
But then comes this anecdote about Rene Descartes, who I’ll grant wasn’t exactly an animal lover, he considered them machines:
“Descartes’ contempt for animals was so legendary that he supposedly once nailed his wife’s live dog to a wall and sliced the poor soul open to examine her organs”.
It would take you 10 seconds to learn that Descartes never had a wife, and not many more to discover there is no credible evidence that that ever happened. The word “supposedly” doesn’t excuse the inaccuracy, especially when the claim is emotionally loaded and easily disproved.
It’s just a story right? It matters because there’s no need to invent cruelty when history (and the present) is overflowing with documented examples. The truth is horrific enough. Fabricating atrocities that are manipulative and factually wrong cheapens the message. It undermines trust, weakens the credibility of the author, and gives ammunition to people who want to dismiss the entire argument. If you’re advocating for animals or exposing human mistreatment, you owe it to readers and animals alike to get it right. Otherwise, you’re turning a serious issue into a cartoon.
A little further along they write:
“Think meat makes you big and buff? Consider these giants who mainly eat fruit shoots and leaves.”
Then they list off gorillas and elephants and bison and yaks.
And I have to ask: what’s the point? Am I supposed to eat like a yak? Can I change my digestive system so that it ferments roots like a gorilla and allows me to eat for 12 hours a day?
Maybe I should lighten up.
Or maybe they should focus on the ethical, environmental, or health motivations for reducing meat consumption. Humans don’t need meat to survive, we can be healthy without it, but, and it’s strange that this needs saying—we are not gorillas. Invoking them is empty rhetoric. It says nothing meaningful about human nutrition or ethics.
Next come the usual shaky arguments, including lines like “the first primate was a committed vegan.” There’s also the claim that humans are “natural herbivores” rather than what we really are: opportunists. But honestly, what would that even prove?
Then the book takes a more troubling turn, especially in an age where wellness influencers sell false hope and social media amplifies misleading anecdotes:
“In some cases a plant-based diet can reverse cancer”
From there it cherrypicks a study by Dean Ornish that had some promising results. But none of the necessary caveats are offered:
The study involved only early-stage, localized prostate cancer, not advanced or metastatic cases.The intervention included diet, supplements, exercise, stress management, and social support, so diet alone wasn’t isolated. The results were based on PSA levels, not tumor shrinkage (which is what most people imagine when they hear “reversed cancer”).
There may have been delays in progression, which would certainly be good. But there was no reversal, and describing it that way is misleading. Later and larger studies didn’t find any delay in progression from increased vegetable intake. Unsurprisingly, those go unmentioned.
This kind of statement undermines legitimate lifestyle medicine. The study was important and diet can influence cancer risk and progression. But when results are exaggerated or stripped of context it breeds distrust.
Then there’s this striking claim:
“Large scale studies have shown that children raised on a vegan diet grow to be about an inch taller on average than their meat eating peers”.
There’s not even a citation for that, and frankly it’s hard to imagine any credible researcher making that assertion, let alone omitting every variable that might explain it.
It’s no pleasure to pick apart a book whose mission is to reduce suffering in the world. I wasn’t reading it as an opponent. But they have to do better. The ethical and environmental arguments for plant-based living are already compelling. Resorting to pseudoscience, exaggeration, and half-truths only weakens the case and plays right into the hands of critics who dismiss animal rights activism as unserious.
January 31, 2020
Books that collect fascinating and amazing facts about animals' abilities, intelligence, and behavior are fairly common, but just as we never seem to tire of cute or amazing animal videos, their publication shows no signs of slowing. That's the first half of this book.
The second half is more activism-oriented. It does spend some time talking about the ways animals suffer in our society...which is honestly, nothing new to me nor most people who would pick up this book. However, it spends just as much or more time talking about the ways in which technology and innovation are replacing the taking of animals' lives for food, fiber, and research. For me at least, only the sections on research technologies had anything that one couldn't observe for themselves easily.
Like many activism books, ANIMALKIND suffers from a severe case of "happyitis," which makes it seem as if just about everyone agrees with the cause and a sea change in society might happen next Tuesday. [See also: Those terminally downbeat activism books that only talk about how things suck and inspire absolutely no one.] I don't care for either extreme, honestly. I actually cringed at the line in the book Now most people are too conscious of their health to eat a diet entirely composed of dead animals. They are also knowledgeable about the...harmful effects of animal agriculture... Yes, "factory farming" has become a well-recognized term and we have access to extensive knowledge regarding exactly how these industries work...and the result has been a population that repeats the line "I don't eat that much meat!" all the while eating more meat than ever before. More animals than ever suffer lives we wouldn't wish on our worst enemies, so it's why honesty, realism, and harm-reduction advocacy are so important.
Ok, and one final elephant in the room: ANIMALKIND's association with the group PETA will likely drive off mainstream readers. PETA is one of those organizations, along with the NRA, NOW, and the ACLU, whose mere mention of their name seems to make people completely lose their minds and throw themselves into gladiator-style combat. And I got very tired, very fast of people trying to dismiss all concern for animals by throwing out the PETA card.
The second half is more activism-oriented. It does spend some time talking about the ways animals suffer in our society...which is honestly, nothing new to me nor most people who would pick up this book. However, it spends just as much or more time talking about the ways in which technology and innovation are replacing the taking of animals' lives for food, fiber, and research. For me at least, only the sections on research technologies had anything that one couldn't observe for themselves easily.
Like many activism books, ANIMALKIND suffers from a severe case of "happyitis," which makes it seem as if just about everyone agrees with the cause and a sea change in society might happen next Tuesday. [See also: Those terminally downbeat activism books that only talk about how things suck and inspire absolutely no one.] I don't care for either extreme, honestly. I actually cringed at the line in the book Now most people are too conscious of their health to eat a diet entirely composed of dead animals. They are also knowledgeable about the...harmful effects of animal agriculture... Yes, "factory farming" has become a well-recognized term and we have access to extensive knowledge regarding exactly how these industries work...and the result has been a population that repeats the line "I don't eat that much meat!" all the while eating more meat than ever before. More animals than ever suffer lives we wouldn't wish on our worst enemies, so it's why honesty, realism, and harm-reduction advocacy are so important.
Ok, and one final elephant in the room: ANIMALKIND's association with the group PETA will likely drive off mainstream readers. PETA is one of those organizations, along with the NRA, NOW, and the ACLU, whose mere mention of their name seems to make people completely lose their minds and throw themselves into gladiator-style combat. And I got very tired, very fast of people trying to dismiss all concern for animals by throwing out the PETA card.
October 21, 2019
Ingrid Newkirk, the founder of PETA and Gene Stone, an author have co-written a book about the wonderful world of animals and how humans have exploited them over the years. The book is written in two parts. The first part discusses all the wonderful things about animals. The second part talks about how we can protect animals by being more conscious of what we wear, eat and how we do research and entertain ourselves. This section also discusses some of the new advances that will help with animal welfare. It definitely made me rethink some of my choices.
January 7, 2020
Ingrid Newkirk has long been a hero of mine, so I feel blessed to have received a preview copy of this book and I must say it did not disappoint. This books tells many fascinating and delightful tales about how interesting and compelling animals are. It feels even more relevant today than ever before with so many people thinking about the impact of whole societies of animals suffering because of fires. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is concerned about koalas or other animals, or really is interested in humans' relationship with the animals we share this Earth with.
June 18, 2021
Anyone that considers themselves as animal lovers should read this book. Amazing read! I started connecting the dots and it really makes sense!
March 24, 2023
Loved it. Tons of facts if you love to learn about animals & how intelligent (and cool) they are. The authors did a good job of giving the truth about the harsh realities animals face today and options you can follow to reduce the harm done to them
June 28, 2025
first half of this book is spectacular but the second half has a lot of factual errors and ruins the whole experience for me. for some reason the book makes the false dichotomy between humans being "carnivores" or "herbivores". humans are biologically omnivores, that's not really up for debate and i find it really odd that a previously reputable book divulges into propaganda
January 9, 2022
I expected more philosophical content, but the book's first half is a somewhat random collection of animal facts. The facts are cool, but they are barely organized and hyper-specific. The back half of the book contained good advice for hopeful animal rights activists and information about alternatives to animal testing, animal leather, and the consumption of animal products. It felt very 101 for me, but overall, this is a good resource for someone new to veganism or animal activism. Where are all the books for seasoned, jaded vegans and animal activists?? Surely there is *something* out there for us.
July 7, 2020
This book taught me how even more amazing all animals are, and our treatment of them is incomprehensible. But this book highlights the awesomeness of all animals, and how we can be more compassionate to them and advocate for them. I absorbed this book in about 2 days.
Animalkind is far superior to humankind not the other way about!
Animalkind is far superior to humankind not the other way about!
April 23, 2024
"Wear clothes that proclaim your anticruelty stance loudly and proudly...Brands like Vegan Police, The Tree Kisser...Slogans like "Meat Sucks" or "Talk Vegan To Me"....Alternatively, don't wear clothes at all"
For helvede da også.....
Nå, jeg troede jeg skulle læse en bog om dyrs intelligens og måske også lidt om hvordan de skal behandles bedre
Første del af bogen levede op til forventningerne. Ca. 100 sider om hvor fucking seje dyr er, hvordan de finder rundt i verden, udviser tegn på kærlighed og empati, og hvordan de på mange måder er klogere end os mennesker til lige præcis det de skal være gode til (var som at læse min SRP om igen)
MEN så tog bogen en drejning. Forfatteren (som er stifteren af PETA) gik nu igang mang at remse alle måderne hvorpå vi gør dyr forted op, og hvordan vi skal stoppe med det. Og jeg mener ALLE.
Jeg er jo vegetar, så jeg vil jo selvfølgelig gerne have at vi behandler dyr ordentligt, men man skal vælge sine kampe. Ingrid Newkirk vælger ikke sine kampe, hun vælger alle kampe.
Vi må ikke bruge uld fra får fordi det er mishandling. Vi må ikke tage silke fra insekt kokoner fordi det er mishandling. Vi må ikke bruge nogle former for dyr på tv eller i film for det er mishandling. VI MÅ IKKE GÅ I ZOO. VI MÅ IKKE GÅ I AKVARIER. Klassisk eksempel på at en ikke-akademisk person ikke fatter hvor meget de gode zoologiske haver og akvarier bidrager til forskning og NGO'er.
Jeg følte jeg var ved at blive suget ind i en kult, hvor jeg altid skulle vise mine holdninger og være en fucking Karen hele tiden. Nej tak!
For helvede da også.....
Nå, jeg troede jeg skulle læse en bog om dyrs intelligens og måske også lidt om hvordan de skal behandles bedre
Første del af bogen levede op til forventningerne. Ca. 100 sider om hvor fucking seje dyr er, hvordan de finder rundt i verden, udviser tegn på kærlighed og empati, og hvordan de på mange måder er klogere end os mennesker til lige præcis det de skal være gode til (var som at læse min SRP om igen)
MEN så tog bogen en drejning. Forfatteren (som er stifteren af PETA) gik nu igang mang at remse alle måderne hvorpå vi gør dyr forted op, og hvordan vi skal stoppe med det. Og jeg mener ALLE.
Jeg er jo vegetar, så jeg vil jo selvfølgelig gerne have at vi behandler dyr ordentligt, men man skal vælge sine kampe. Ingrid Newkirk vælger ikke sine kampe, hun vælger alle kampe.
Vi må ikke bruge uld fra får fordi det er mishandling. Vi må ikke tage silke fra insekt kokoner fordi det er mishandling. Vi må ikke bruge nogle former for dyr på tv eller i film for det er mishandling. VI MÅ IKKE GÅ I ZOO. VI MÅ IKKE GÅ I AKVARIER. Klassisk eksempel på at en ikke-akademisk person ikke fatter hvor meget de gode zoologiske haver og akvarier bidrager til forskning og NGO'er.
Jeg følte jeg var ved at blive suget ind i en kult, hvor jeg altid skulle vise mine holdninger og være en fucking Karen hele tiden. Nej tak!
April 30, 2021
Interesting book. Anyone interested in how we can be kinder to animals and our planet should read.
January 9, 2021
As an animal lover, this was an inspiring read to further veganize my life. The latter half shared concise arguments against industries still using animals inhumanly, some that weren’t yet on my blocked list (ie- wool, down) but now are, alternatives to these products and practices, and ways to get involved in stopping the cruelty. The first section was more about the nature of various animals; it shared heart wrenching stories of the remarkable nature of different species that are not so different from us as we imagine (thinking of the mother diary cow making a Sophie’s Choice and hiding one of her twin babies as to not get separated from both after birth).
Certainly a painful read for parts, but I think it’s somewhat immoral to turn a blind eye and feign ignorance, while so much suffering occurs to our animal friends around the world. I can see the argument that a few whistleblowing anecdotes may not represent the whole industry, but the fact that the anecdotes exist at all doesn’t sit well with me. 🐮🐷🐶🐱🐭🐰🐥🐝🐍🐬🦧🐓🦜🐘🐆🐠🕸🐒🐸🐑🐊
The sections on alternatives to animals was motivating, and it’s great to see so much progress in this area. I imagine generations from now we’ll look back at the practices of the food, cosmetics, and other industries using animals as unnecessary and barbaric; I’m hoping that day is not too far off!
Certainly a painful read for parts, but I think it’s somewhat immoral to turn a blind eye and feign ignorance, while so much suffering occurs to our animal friends around the world. I can see the argument that a few whistleblowing anecdotes may not represent the whole industry, but the fact that the anecdotes exist at all doesn’t sit well with me. 🐮🐷🐶🐱🐭🐰🐥🐝🐍🐬🦧🐓🦜🐘🐆🐠🕸🐒🐸🐑🐊
The sections on alternatives to animals was motivating, and it’s great to see so much progress in this area. I imagine generations from now we’ll look back at the practices of the food, cosmetics, and other industries using animals as unnecessary and barbaric; I’m hoping that day is not too far off!
January 13, 2022
Part One of the book was extremely insightful and really made me understand exactly how advanced other species are compared to us bipedal chimps with a smart phone. I enjoyed all of the interesting facts like sea turtles have the same crystals in their brain for navigation as mole rats do in their nose. I also liked that the authors really pushed that our own intelligence is not indicative of how smart others are. Part Two of the book was also somewhat insightful in the technology we have and can expand on but it always seemed to feel like propaganda that we as humans are terrible. Our actions are terrible and how our political systems works to favor human need over animal compassion is also terrible but when the public is accurately educated, these things change. Education is the only way to truly introduce people to the realities of the world we live in and how we can change. Some documentaries that were listed or cited in the book were some I have viewed and made my friends watch to be educated. They were peak in my change of views in how animals should be treated and reiterates that education is the greatest possible way of creating change.
Only giving it a three star because I poured myself over every line in Part One and then for Part Two, I skimmed it, only reading the parts that seemed important.
Only giving it a three star because I poured myself over every line in Part One and then for Part Two, I skimmed it, only reading the parts that seemed important.
February 18, 2020
Essential reading for every human being. Stunning book.
March 20, 2020
I’d appreciate more in-depth information and analysis. The book feels like a wiki page just listing things.
March 31, 2020
Very informative, but I admit... I had to skip a couple of chapters because I'm an animal empath, and it was just too upsetting to listen to!
November 7, 2024
Překlad do češtiny je těžce nepovedený, od celkově jalového až bulvárního tónu přes začátečnické chyby ("novels" přeloženo jako "novely" místo náležitého "romány") po neschopnost překladatele/redaktora vkládat vysvětlující, doplňující aj. poznámky na ta správná místa (poznámky k americkým aj. reáliím se skoro nepoužívají, naopak jsou doplněny na místech, kde jsou celkem zbytečné).
Kniha jsou vlastně dvě knihy, které by mohly stát víceméně samostatně – první polovina je o zvířatech, jejich komunikaci, jejich hravém chování ap.; druhá polovina je – a bohužel se moc nedá použít jiné označení – podivná agitka proti využívání zvířat (k jídlu, k výrobě oblečení, ve vědě atp.), která nemá k první polovině žádný přímočarý vztah. První část je plytká, povrchní, leckdy zkreslující; s určitou znalostí problematiky pro mě byla např. kapitola o komunikaci zvířat víceméně nezajímavá ztráta času. Druhá polovina knihy je bohužel ještě horší; je totiž plná někdy naprosto debilních rad ("Anebo nenoste oblečení vůbec. Připojte se k Gillian Andersonové, Tommymu Lee, Khloe Kardashianové, Evě Mendesové a Pink tím, že řeknete, že byste raději chodili nazí než v kožichu." nebo "Pokud sledujete film, televizní seriál nebo reklamu, které využívají jakékoliv zvíře, kontaktujte jeho producenty, studio, agenturu podporující jejich produkt a řekněte jim, proč proti tomu máte námitky.") a ještě debilnějších manipulací, který naprosto pohřbívají jinak zcela validní problémy (v Austrálii nalezená ovce Chris se "o několik let dříve nějak oddělila od svého stáda", ale na další straně už je naprosto jasno: Chris a jiná podobná ovce "utekli, aby se vyhnuli stříhání", protože to je pro ovce nejhorší věc na světě, neasi).
Kniha jsou vlastně dvě knihy, které by mohly stát víceméně samostatně – první polovina je o zvířatech, jejich komunikaci, jejich hravém chování ap.; druhá polovina je – a bohužel se moc nedá použít jiné označení – podivná agitka proti využívání zvířat (k jídlu, k výrobě oblečení, ve vědě atp.), která nemá k první polovině žádný přímočarý vztah. První část je plytká, povrchní, leckdy zkreslující; s určitou znalostí problematiky pro mě byla např. kapitola o komunikaci zvířat víceméně nezajímavá ztráta času. Druhá polovina knihy je bohužel ještě horší; je totiž plná někdy naprosto debilních rad ("Anebo nenoste oblečení vůbec. Připojte se k Gillian Andersonové, Tommymu Lee, Khloe Kardashianové, Evě Mendesové a Pink tím, že řeknete, že byste raději chodili nazí než v kožichu." nebo "Pokud sledujete film, televizní seriál nebo reklamu, které využívají jakékoliv zvíře, kontaktujte jeho producenty, studio, agenturu podporující jejich produkt a řekněte jim, proč proti tomu máte námitky.") a ještě debilnějších manipulací, který naprosto pohřbívají jinak zcela validní problémy (v Austrálii nalezená ovce Chris se "o několik let dříve nějak oddělila od svého stáda", ale na další straně už je naprosto jasno: Chris a jiná podobná ovce "utekli, aby se vyhnuli stříhání", protože to je pro ovce nejhorší věc na světě, neasi).
September 19, 2021
Interesting book with some cool facts about animals and new technologies that are replacing the exploitative practices of the past. It's a nice book to read after something as depressing as Animal Liberation because of its positive, forward-looking attitude—and the fact that it's much more modern, written in an age with animal cruelty on the decline and veganism on the rise. That being said, I also found it kind of cheesy at times.
May 16, 2021
This is a very good book, absolutely worth reading. Lots of stories and information crammed in there.
April 8, 2023
Purchased for a light read / some animal facts,and found over the book to contain graphic content on animal welfare.
Important truths everyone should know!
But best to know what you’re in for.
Important truths everyone should know!
But best to know what you’re in for.
May 11, 2024
AN EXCELLENT OVERVIEW OF MUCH CURRENT RESEARCH AND ISSUES
Ingrid Newkirk (born 1949) is an English-born animal rights activist and the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), as well as the author of Free the Animals: The Story of the Animal Liberation Front; You Can Save the Animals: 251 Simple Ways to Stop Thoughtless Cruelty, etc.
She and coauthor Gene Stone wrote in the Introduction to this 2020 book, “people’s eyes are now opened to WHO animals are---and we like what we see. We have come to feel love, understanding, and respect for all animals and our delight in caring for them has entered a new era. The first part of this book is a celebration of that relationship, an exploration of who animals are… The second part of the book takes us to the next logical step---given our newfound understanding of all that is animal, how can we treat them in ways that respect their individuality and talents?... how can we conduct our lives happily and efficiently without having to exploit animals?... Be ready to learn as you find out all the many ways that you can help all animals live the fulfilling and happy lives they deserve---or at least, to be left unmolested.” (Pg. 3-4)
Later, they add, “In the following chapters we will explore … the amazing ways animals navigate the world… Next we will explore the world of animal communication… We next dive into life’s most powerful and mysterious emotion: love… Finally, we’ll examine perhaps the most universal activity on the planet: play… By learning about how animals move, chat, love, and romp, we learn more about who animals ARE… and how we humans can benefit from our greater understanding of what make animals tick.” (Pg. 14)
They explain, “We often consider intelligence as the only factor in determining which animals deserve compassion and which don’t. Yet we’re still so limited in our understanding of human intelligence that it makes little sense to calibrate our animal brethren based on how similar their brains are to ours… The goal in this book is not to merely question that superiority, or to show how animals think and act like us; it’s also to show how they do not, and to honor those differences… As we’ll see in this book, animals think, navigate, communicate, love, and play in extraordinarily unique ways.” (Pg. 8)
They state, “Fish … are aware of themselves as individuals. One way to test whether an animal possesses self-recognition is to place her in front of a mirror with a small section of her body painted. If she … then touches or investigates the mark, she likely recognizes herself in the mirror and is therefore self-aware… Japanese researchers placed a mirror in front of cleaner wrasses. At first they acted skittish and territorial---meaning they regarded their reflections as foreign fish… by the end of the study they could clearly recognize their own movements. The fish even used their reflection in the mirror to help remove tags affixed by the researchers to their bodies.” (Pg. 27-28)
They note, “dogs alter their tone to produce a striking variety of sounds---each with their own meaning. Dogs modify the pitch, timing, and amplitude of their barks, which is believed to be a method for communicating intentions to their canine cohorts. For example, it has been determined that dogs produce a ‘food growl’ when tussling over food, and a distinctly different ‘stranger growl’ upon spotting an unknown human.” (Pg. 40)
They say, “bird songs … serve a practical purpose. Birds employ their voices to call their mates, find their flock, claim territory, scare off intruders, warn others about predators, and for countless other functions.” (Pg. 55) Later, they add, “Initially the scientists expected the animal calls to be simplistic and random. It turns out that they more closely resembled human speech patterns… What may seem like noise to us may be an intricately language what we simply haven’t learned to decipher.” (Pg. 59)
They acknowledge, “While science explains why young lions and bear cubs play-fight, it’s less clear why dogs enjoy romps at the beach, ball games, and other seemingly useless activities. And unlike other animals, who tend to stop playing after reaching adulthood, even the most wizened old dog is up for a game of fetch.” (Pg. 97)
They also admit, “This has led to what some people have found a sadistic form of feline amusement: ‘playing’ with their not-yet-dead prey. Cats are … practicing a skill they acquired very early in their evolution… cats seem to play with their food to tire them out---say, by allowing a mouse to hobble away before clawing him back. When her prey is sufficiently dazed, a cat will deliver the death blow… Instead of experiencing amusement in the human sense, cats are simply following their predator instincts, however gruesome they may seem.” (Pg. 99-100)
They point out, “Coming soon is ‘clean meat’: actual flesh from animal cells in a laboratory under conditions that eliminate … dangerous bacteria, conserve water, and eliminate slaughterhouses once and for all. Ever more ‘taste-alikes’… are rolling off the production line… We are entering a new age of animal-free living.” (Pg. 117)
Against vivisection, they argue, “many of the loudest objections … are coming from within scientific community itself. Here are just a few reasons why: *Our fellow beings can never be reliable stand-ions for human research subjects… other species’ anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry are just not similar enough to ours… *More than 90 percent of scientific discoveries from animal experiments fail to lead to human treatments… *Animal research is extremely wasteful. Repeated experiments crippling dogs to mimic human muscular dystrophy have brought us no closer to a cure… *Drug testing on animals can end up harming people as well. The painkiller Viaxx had to be pulled from the market even after extensive animal tests because it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke in humans… Human clinical trials have led to the most important health advances.” (Pg. 129-130)
They suggest, “the vast majority of insects raised by the silk industry don’t live past the pupal stage; they are… gassed alive inside their cocoons when they are still adolescents. Because it takes … fifty thousand silkworms to make a single Indian sari, the number of insects killed each year by the silk industry is truly staggering. Silkworms might not be as easy to love as a cuddly sheep, but perhaps all living organisms deserve better treatment.” (Pg. 167)
They point out, “Nearly every moviegoer has seen the phrase ‘No Animals Were harmed in the Making of This Film’ in the ending credits. However… the truth is not quite what it seems. The group that provides this endorsement is American Humane (AH), a Los Angeles-based association… Unfortunately, AH does not have the authority to enforce its own standards: It is only able to grant any of six ratings… Moreover, AH is funded by the Screen Actors Guild, meaning it is paid by the very industry it monitors. AH bases its rating only on when animals are on set, but not when they are being trained or boarded… AH does not take into account a trainer’s animal-related offenses or violations of the federal Anima Welfare Act… Furthermore… AH doesn’t take into consideration living conditions or the disposal of animals after they are no longer of use to the exhibitor.” (Pg. 192-193)
They note, “To suggest an air of compassion, the chicken industry often employs labels such as ‘free-roaming,’ ‘free-range,’ or ‘pasture-raised’ and puts misleading pictures of the farm on the cartons that bear no resemblance to reality… Likewise, terminology such as ‘pasture-raised’ implies that the animal has ‘continuous free access to the outdoors for a minimum of 120 days a year.’ This raises the question: What happens the other 245 days of the year?” (Pg. 215-216)
This book will be of great interest to those studying animal intelligence, vegetarianism/veganism, and related topics.
Ingrid Newkirk (born 1949) is an English-born animal rights activist and the president of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), as well as the author of Free the Animals: The Story of the Animal Liberation Front; You Can Save the Animals: 251 Simple Ways to Stop Thoughtless Cruelty, etc.
She and coauthor Gene Stone wrote in the Introduction to this 2020 book, “people’s eyes are now opened to WHO animals are---and we like what we see. We have come to feel love, understanding, and respect for all animals and our delight in caring for them has entered a new era. The first part of this book is a celebration of that relationship, an exploration of who animals are… The second part of the book takes us to the next logical step---given our newfound understanding of all that is animal, how can we treat them in ways that respect their individuality and talents?... how can we conduct our lives happily and efficiently without having to exploit animals?... Be ready to learn as you find out all the many ways that you can help all animals live the fulfilling and happy lives they deserve---or at least, to be left unmolested.” (Pg. 3-4)
Later, they add, “In the following chapters we will explore … the amazing ways animals navigate the world… Next we will explore the world of animal communication… We next dive into life’s most powerful and mysterious emotion: love… Finally, we’ll examine perhaps the most universal activity on the planet: play… By learning about how animals move, chat, love, and romp, we learn more about who animals ARE… and how we humans can benefit from our greater understanding of what make animals tick.” (Pg. 14)
They explain, “We often consider intelligence as the only factor in determining which animals deserve compassion and which don’t. Yet we’re still so limited in our understanding of human intelligence that it makes little sense to calibrate our animal brethren based on how similar their brains are to ours… The goal in this book is not to merely question that superiority, or to show how animals think and act like us; it’s also to show how they do not, and to honor those differences… As we’ll see in this book, animals think, navigate, communicate, love, and play in extraordinarily unique ways.” (Pg. 8)
They state, “Fish … are aware of themselves as individuals. One way to test whether an animal possesses self-recognition is to place her in front of a mirror with a small section of her body painted. If she … then touches or investigates the mark, she likely recognizes herself in the mirror and is therefore self-aware… Japanese researchers placed a mirror in front of cleaner wrasses. At first they acted skittish and territorial---meaning they regarded their reflections as foreign fish… by the end of the study they could clearly recognize their own movements. The fish even used their reflection in the mirror to help remove tags affixed by the researchers to their bodies.” (Pg. 27-28)
They note, “dogs alter their tone to produce a striking variety of sounds---each with their own meaning. Dogs modify the pitch, timing, and amplitude of their barks, which is believed to be a method for communicating intentions to their canine cohorts. For example, it has been determined that dogs produce a ‘food growl’ when tussling over food, and a distinctly different ‘stranger growl’ upon spotting an unknown human.” (Pg. 40)
They say, “bird songs … serve a practical purpose. Birds employ their voices to call their mates, find their flock, claim territory, scare off intruders, warn others about predators, and for countless other functions.” (Pg. 55) Later, they add, “Initially the scientists expected the animal calls to be simplistic and random. It turns out that they more closely resembled human speech patterns… What may seem like noise to us may be an intricately language what we simply haven’t learned to decipher.” (Pg. 59)
They acknowledge, “While science explains why young lions and bear cubs play-fight, it’s less clear why dogs enjoy romps at the beach, ball games, and other seemingly useless activities. And unlike other animals, who tend to stop playing after reaching adulthood, even the most wizened old dog is up for a game of fetch.” (Pg. 97)
They also admit, “This has led to what some people have found a sadistic form of feline amusement: ‘playing’ with their not-yet-dead prey. Cats are … practicing a skill they acquired very early in their evolution… cats seem to play with their food to tire them out---say, by allowing a mouse to hobble away before clawing him back. When her prey is sufficiently dazed, a cat will deliver the death blow… Instead of experiencing amusement in the human sense, cats are simply following their predator instincts, however gruesome they may seem.” (Pg. 99-100)
They point out, “Coming soon is ‘clean meat’: actual flesh from animal cells in a laboratory under conditions that eliminate … dangerous bacteria, conserve water, and eliminate slaughterhouses once and for all. Ever more ‘taste-alikes’… are rolling off the production line… We are entering a new age of animal-free living.” (Pg. 117)
Against vivisection, they argue, “many of the loudest objections … are coming from within scientific community itself. Here are just a few reasons why: *Our fellow beings can never be reliable stand-ions for human research subjects… other species’ anatomy, physiology, and biochemistry are just not similar enough to ours… *More than 90 percent of scientific discoveries from animal experiments fail to lead to human treatments… *Animal research is extremely wasteful. Repeated experiments crippling dogs to mimic human muscular dystrophy have brought us no closer to a cure… *Drug testing on animals can end up harming people as well. The painkiller Viaxx had to be pulled from the market even after extensive animal tests because it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke in humans… Human clinical trials have led to the most important health advances.” (Pg. 129-130)
They suggest, “the vast majority of insects raised by the silk industry don’t live past the pupal stage; they are… gassed alive inside their cocoons when they are still adolescents. Because it takes … fifty thousand silkworms to make a single Indian sari, the number of insects killed each year by the silk industry is truly staggering. Silkworms might not be as easy to love as a cuddly sheep, but perhaps all living organisms deserve better treatment.” (Pg. 167)
They point out, “Nearly every moviegoer has seen the phrase ‘No Animals Were harmed in the Making of This Film’ in the ending credits. However… the truth is not quite what it seems. The group that provides this endorsement is American Humane (AH), a Los Angeles-based association… Unfortunately, AH does not have the authority to enforce its own standards: It is only able to grant any of six ratings… Moreover, AH is funded by the Screen Actors Guild, meaning it is paid by the very industry it monitors. AH bases its rating only on when animals are on set, but not when they are being trained or boarded… AH does not take into account a trainer’s animal-related offenses or violations of the federal Anima Welfare Act… Furthermore… AH doesn’t take into consideration living conditions or the disposal of animals after they are no longer of use to the exhibitor.” (Pg. 192-193)
They note, “To suggest an air of compassion, the chicken industry often employs labels such as ‘free-roaming,’ ‘free-range,’ or ‘pasture-raised’ and puts misleading pictures of the farm on the cartons that bear no resemblance to reality… Likewise, terminology such as ‘pasture-raised’ implies that the animal has ‘continuous free access to the outdoors for a minimum of 120 days a year.’ This raises the question: What happens the other 245 days of the year?” (Pg. 215-216)
This book will be of great interest to those studying animal intelligence, vegetarianism/veganism, and related topics.
January 25, 2020
Highly recommend this book to anyone who considers themselves an animal lover. This book is full of interesting tidbits of information that help us understand that animals are complex, thinking, feeling beings. But more than that, it empowers one to make a difference for the lives of animals who are suffering and make this a better world for us all. Well written style that makes you want to keep turning the page for more.
March 1, 2022
I could probably write an essay on this book. The first half of the book discusses not only how amazing different animals are, but also how similar they are to us, humans. This part of the book felt as if I was reading Planet Earth or a nature documentary. The second half demonstrates how humans and speciesism have put our fellow animals at risk of extinction. The authors show us how we jeopardize the different species and their homes through our overconsumption. However, they do highlight key steps everyone can take to be better inhabitants of this planet. All of their suggestions might not be possible for everyone, but they should be taken as a roadmap to do better, for not just our Earth but also all the other species that rely on it.
This book showed me how NOT special humans are. To say we are the "superior" species is wildly off-base and incorrect. If anything, we are the worst species since we continue to deplete the Earth of its resources, animals, and ecosystems.
This book showed me how NOT special humans are. To say we are the "superior" species is wildly off-base and incorrect. If anything, we are the worst species since we continue to deplete the Earth of its resources, animals, and ecosystems.
May 29, 2020
When I was about a third of the way through with Animalkind I found myself listening to the world differently. While outside I paid attention to the sounds of the birds and watched a mama hen with her chicks, a nearby rooster (presumably the papa hen) keeping a watchful eye on them. I recently found myself having an unintended and passionate conversation about the dairy industry with a friend of mine. How can we, the human race, continue to treat these sentient beings as violently as we do? How can we eat their flesh and drink their milk without batting an eye? I'm saddened that I've spent so much of my life turning a blind eye to the atrocities occuring all around me. I'm thankful that books like Animalkind are helping me to make decisions that are best for all beings, not just human ones.
March 26, 2020
This is a good primer on the situation of animals in the world, with some updated information on the state of things. However, I probably would have organized the information differently. As it is, with Part One being on the intelligence of animals, and Part Two on their sufferings at the hands of humans, it reads like two distinct books. If those two sections were integrated, it might have more impact on people's decisions.
March 2, 2020
This book was a remarkable look at a number of diverse animals and how special and intelligent they are, something humans often overlook in a greatly speciesist society that’s treats animals as commodities to be used and consumed. It then delves into a number of ways in which people exploit animals, have exploited them throughout history, and how we can change our actions and effect change now. I loved this book and learned a great deal.
April 14, 2020
Sorry, I can`t. I would very much read this book, but it is full of stupid experiments which should prove that animals are "like us". Why should they be like us? Only when a dog proved that he can count, was he considered "intelligent"? No, sorry. We doubt too much, we compare to us too much and we see too little. We should be compassionate because THEY ARE and because they LIVE. That should be the only reason, not because the have proven something in a stupid experiment.
April 22, 2020
Having read Singer, Regan, Foer and many other promoters of a different approach towards fellow sentient beings, I'm pretty disappointed by this rather dry and in parts outdated listing. Maybe it's the dull and rather emotionless rendering of the audioversion. Luckily I've met and worked with many members of the animal rights movement that show way more passion and compassion.
November 22, 2020
Summary:
I'm sure this book is difficult to digest for some people with entrenched beliefs and habits being challenged, but I urge readers to approach it with curiosity and openness. The book is structured so that the first half highlights some of the wonders of the animal kingdom. It's light and interesting, moving quickly from species to species outlining their amazing intelligence and abilities. The key point is that what we consider intelligence and broadly apply to animals is not a good measurement of animal intelligence. Rather, animal intelligence is diverse and should be considered on from an evolutionary perspective. We might consider a bird to be unintelligent because it cannot do human things, but it's very smart and good at doing bird things! So are we dumb birds or are birds dumb humans? The answer is neither. We're different species with our own unique intelligence. The second half goes industry by industry and looks at how animals are exploited and highlights some very interesting technologies and products that have been and are still being developed to provide better options to animal products. It's a good combination, exploring animal intelligence and showcasing their capacity to feel and then following up with discussion on how you can easily avoid harming them. Give it a read and go vegan. :)
I would recommend this book to anyone. We all can use a bit more compassion to nudge us in the direction of a vegan world.
The main message I took from this book is that intelligence is complex and has been applied poorly to animals which in turn has helped ease our reluctance in exploiting them.
Some notable points:
- The concept that all living animals can be arranged along a continuous 'phylogenetic scale' with man at the top is inconsistent with contemporary views of animal evolution.
- Animal intelligence can only be understood, or at least studied, in the context of a particular species' evolutionary path.
- Slime mold can navigate mazes by reproducing and growing towards food placed at the other end. It is able to retrace it steps and demonstrates spatial memory.
- In no case is an animal activity to be interpreted in terms of higher psychological processes if it can be fairly interpreted in terms of processes which stand lower in the scale of psychological evolution and development.
- Fish feel pain, and they are aware of themselves as individuals.
- Pigeons have avian versions of the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin as well as serotonin and dopamine. Meaning they experience similar bonding love, pleasure and attraction feelings.
- Dogs and cats are affected by loss and have been shown to demonstrate decreased appetite, clinginess and lethargy.
- Crows will gather around the body of a deceased friend for hours to mourn, but also to learn about the circumstances surrounding their crow friend's death in order to protect themselves in the future.
- Dairy cows have been known to try and hide their calves to avoid having them taken away from them. One dairy cow had twins and made the painful choice to take one calf to the dairy farmer and hid the other one where she would secretly visit and feed it. Until it was unfortunately discovered.
- Forty years ago, the standard pregnancy test consisted of sending a urine sample to a laboratory, injecting it into a frog, rabbit, or mouse, and checking to see if the animal died. Technology has come a long way since!
- The history of cancer research has been a history of curing cancer in the mouse. We have cured mice of cancer for decades and it simply didn't work in humans.
- Wearing furs has roots in classist segregation where it was a sign of wealth and poorer people were restricted to only wearing certain types of furs. This in turn heightened the perceived value of other furs and spurred more demand.
- In times past, the price of admission to a zoo in England was three half-pence or a live cat or dog to be fed to the lions.
- A survey of 4,500 elephants both in the wild and in captivity found that the median life span for a captive African elephant was not even seventeen years; African elephants on a nature preserve died of natural causes at a median age of fifty-six.
- The grin that we often see chimpanzees make on TV and in movies is actually a 'fear grimace'. Chimpanzees do not bare their teeth out of joy.
- Early humans' average meals likely consisted of starch-rich foods like tubers, rhizomes, corns, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Little - if any - mean was consumed, mostly because Paleolithic humans weren't strong or fast enough to hunt down other animals. If and when they did eat meat, it was the scavenged leftovers from larger carnivores' kills.
- Homo sapiens and previous ancestors largely foraged for seeds, roots, sedges, succulents and opportunistically ate meat. Not until animal domestication between 7 and 12 thousand years ago did meat become more common in the human diet.
- Although we think we are, and we act as if we are, human beings are not natural carnivores. When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us, because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores.
- Raising one ton of fish commercially takes eight tons of water. Intensive shrimp production takes up to ten times more water. A two-acre salmon farm produces as much waste as a town of ten thousand humans.
- We can see quite plainly that our present civilisation is built on the exploitation of animals, just as past civilizations were built on the exploitation of salves, and we believe the spiritual destiny of man is such that in time he will view with abhorrence the idea that men once fed on the products of animals' bodies.
I'm sure this book is difficult to digest for some people with entrenched beliefs and habits being challenged, but I urge readers to approach it with curiosity and openness. The book is structured so that the first half highlights some of the wonders of the animal kingdom. It's light and interesting, moving quickly from species to species outlining their amazing intelligence and abilities. The key point is that what we consider intelligence and broadly apply to animals is not a good measurement of animal intelligence. Rather, animal intelligence is diverse and should be considered on from an evolutionary perspective. We might consider a bird to be unintelligent because it cannot do human things, but it's very smart and good at doing bird things! So are we dumb birds or are birds dumb humans? The answer is neither. We're different species with our own unique intelligence. The second half goes industry by industry and looks at how animals are exploited and highlights some very interesting technologies and products that have been and are still being developed to provide better options to animal products. It's a good combination, exploring animal intelligence and showcasing their capacity to feel and then following up with discussion on how you can easily avoid harming them. Give it a read and go vegan. :)
I would recommend this book to anyone. We all can use a bit more compassion to nudge us in the direction of a vegan world.
The main message I took from this book is that intelligence is complex and has been applied poorly to animals which in turn has helped ease our reluctance in exploiting them.
Some notable points:
- The concept that all living animals can be arranged along a continuous 'phylogenetic scale' with man at the top is inconsistent with contemporary views of animal evolution.
- Animal intelligence can only be understood, or at least studied, in the context of a particular species' evolutionary path.
- Slime mold can navigate mazes by reproducing and growing towards food placed at the other end. It is able to retrace it steps and demonstrates spatial memory.
- In no case is an animal activity to be interpreted in terms of higher psychological processes if it can be fairly interpreted in terms of processes which stand lower in the scale of psychological evolution and development.
- Fish feel pain, and they are aware of themselves as individuals.
- Pigeons have avian versions of the hormones oxytocin and vasopressin as well as serotonin and dopamine. Meaning they experience similar bonding love, pleasure and attraction feelings.
- Dogs and cats are affected by loss and have been shown to demonstrate decreased appetite, clinginess and lethargy.
- Crows will gather around the body of a deceased friend for hours to mourn, but also to learn about the circumstances surrounding their crow friend's death in order to protect themselves in the future.
- Dairy cows have been known to try and hide their calves to avoid having them taken away from them. One dairy cow had twins and made the painful choice to take one calf to the dairy farmer and hid the other one where she would secretly visit and feed it. Until it was unfortunately discovered.
- Forty years ago, the standard pregnancy test consisted of sending a urine sample to a laboratory, injecting it into a frog, rabbit, or mouse, and checking to see if the animal died. Technology has come a long way since!
- The history of cancer research has been a history of curing cancer in the mouse. We have cured mice of cancer for decades and it simply didn't work in humans.
- Wearing furs has roots in classist segregation where it was a sign of wealth and poorer people were restricted to only wearing certain types of furs. This in turn heightened the perceived value of other furs and spurred more demand.
- In times past, the price of admission to a zoo in England was three half-pence or a live cat or dog to be fed to the lions.
- A survey of 4,500 elephants both in the wild and in captivity found that the median life span for a captive African elephant was not even seventeen years; African elephants on a nature preserve died of natural causes at a median age of fifty-six.
- The grin that we often see chimpanzees make on TV and in movies is actually a 'fear grimace'. Chimpanzees do not bare their teeth out of joy.
- Early humans' average meals likely consisted of starch-rich foods like tubers, rhizomes, corns, seeds, fruits and vegetables. Little - if any - mean was consumed, mostly because Paleolithic humans weren't strong or fast enough to hunt down other animals. If and when they did eat meat, it was the scavenged leftovers from larger carnivores' kills.
- Homo sapiens and previous ancestors largely foraged for seeds, roots, sedges, succulents and opportunistically ate meat. Not until animal domestication between 7 and 12 thousand years ago did meat become more common in the human diet.
- Although we think we are, and we act as if we are, human beings are not natural carnivores. When we kill animals to eat them, they end up killing us, because their flesh, which contains cholesterol and saturated fat, was never intended for human beings, who are natural herbivores.
- Raising one ton of fish commercially takes eight tons of water. Intensive shrimp production takes up to ten times more water. A two-acre salmon farm produces as much waste as a town of ten thousand humans.
- We can see quite plainly that our present civilisation is built on the exploitation of animals, just as past civilizations were built on the exploitation of salves, and we believe the spiritual destiny of man is such that in time he will view with abhorrence the idea that men once fed on the products of animals' bodies.
Read
August 24, 2020A Safer, Healthier Environment for All of Earth's Habitants
In SECTION I: Remarkable Discoveries about Animals 1 of the book, the authors cite in regards to the total number of animals on the earth, that it has been found that only 15 percent of the estimated nine million species on Earth have been discovered. They also relate that scientists have identified specimens of slime mold in New Zealand that are genetically identical to those in the United States, meaning they traveled, somehow, halfway across the world without wings, paws, or feet. These slime molds, even if they are ripped in half, can continue to grow and reproduce unabated. And, as for intelligence, as one fascinating study revealed, slime molds can even solve mazes. As the physicist Werner Heisenberg wrote in his 1958 book, Physics and Philosophy, “We have to remember that what we observe is not nature herself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.” A two-year study published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology comprising thirty-seven breeds and more than five thousand observations found that “Dogs preferred to excrete with the body being aligned along the North–South axis.". Because dogs and humans lived and evolved together for so long—they often develop similar habits for unhealthy foods, resulting in sharing similar diseases, such as obesity, epilepsy, cancer, and even obsessive-compulsive disorders. Chickens have more than thirty types of vocalizations to distinguish between threats approaching by land or air, thus, a mother hen teaches some of these vocalizations to her chicks before they even hatch; as she clucks softly while sitting on the eggs, her chicks chirp back to her and to each other from inside their shells. As to the intricacies of love, when a peacock shakes his rear at a potential mate, his magnificent feathers emit a high-frequency noise that causes the crest of the female’s head to vibrate vigorously. The reader learns that more than 90 percent of bird species are monogamous, including pigeons and geese, while chimpanzees (and many other mammals, for that matter) are notoriously promiscuous. An example of a monogamous relationship between bird species are swans, the lifelong lovers of fairy-tale legend, with a 95 percent rate of staying together.
In SECTION II: Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion , The authors compare the two types of scientific research: scientific exploration using animals and the new method without using animals. The authors suggest that for a constantly updated list of approved animal-free testing methods for everything from personal lubricants to antitoxins, , to check out the PETA International Science Consortium website at http://www.piscltd.org.uk. This section goes on to discuss clothing, entertainment and food. Recommendations are given in regards to what you can do to further animal welfare, making a safer world for animals and a healthier environment for mankind.
In SECTION I: Remarkable Discoveries about Animals 1 of the book, the authors cite in regards to the total number of animals on the earth, that it has been found that only 15 percent of the estimated nine million species on Earth have been discovered. They also relate that scientists have identified specimens of slime mold in New Zealand that are genetically identical to those in the United States, meaning they traveled, somehow, halfway across the world without wings, paws, or feet. These slime molds, even if they are ripped in half, can continue to grow and reproduce unabated. And, as for intelligence, as one fascinating study revealed, slime molds can even solve mazes. As the physicist Werner Heisenberg wrote in his 1958 book, Physics and Philosophy, “We have to remember that what we observe is not nature herself, but nature exposed to our method of questioning.” A two-year study published in the journal Frontiers in Zoology comprising thirty-seven breeds and more than five thousand observations found that “Dogs preferred to excrete with the body being aligned along the North–South axis.". Because dogs and humans lived and evolved together for so long—they often develop similar habits for unhealthy foods, resulting in sharing similar diseases, such as obesity, epilepsy, cancer, and even obsessive-compulsive disorders. Chickens have more than thirty types of vocalizations to distinguish between threats approaching by land or air, thus, a mother hen teaches some of these vocalizations to her chicks before they even hatch; as she clucks softly while sitting on the eggs, her chicks chirp back to her and to each other from inside their shells. As to the intricacies of love, when a peacock shakes his rear at a potential mate, his magnificent feathers emit a high-frequency noise that causes the crest of the female’s head to vibrate vigorously. The reader learns that more than 90 percent of bird species are monogamous, including pigeons and geese, while chimpanzees (and many other mammals, for that matter) are notoriously promiscuous. An example of a monogamous relationship between bird species are swans, the lifelong lovers of fairy-tale legend, with a 95 percent rate of staying together.
In SECTION II: Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion , The authors compare the two types of scientific research: scientific exploration using animals and the new method without using animals. The authors suggest that for a constantly updated list of approved animal-free testing methods for everything from personal lubricants to antitoxins, , to check out the PETA International Science Consortium website at http://www.piscltd.org.uk. This section goes on to discuss clothing, entertainment and food. Recommendations are given in regards to what you can do to further animal welfare, making a safer world for animals and a healthier environment for mankind.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews