Human Animal Relations Quotes

“The animals that one culture likes are often hated in the next, and it seems that the animals themselves know it well.”
― Brian Griffith, War and Peace with the Beasts: A History of Our Relationships with Animals

“In the Celtic Druidic tradition, whole clans and families are reputed to have descended from the union of humans and seals. They include: Clan MacCodrum ("of the Seals") from North Uist in the Outer Hebrides; the Coneelys, Cregans and Hennessys from Ireland; the O'Sullivans of County Kerry; and the MacNamaras, whose name means "Sons of the Sea-Hound (i.e. seal)".”
― Yowann Byghan, Sacred and Mythological Animals: A Worldwide Taxonomy

“Pet owners like to think of themselves as the parents of their animals, but they overlook the fact that the ‘children’ they claim are not their own. They are rather ‘children’ that were abducted from their natural communities.”
― Charles Danten, Un vétérinaire en colère - Essai sur la condition animale

“The perceived value of pets has been grossly exaggerated to stimulate demand and to create jobs and wealth. Although scarce for lack of public funding, the only decent research in the field has shown that the long-term benefits of pets are largely overrated, if not totally absent. The therapeutic value of zootherapy is of the same nature as that of gambling, binge-eating, and alcohol: it provides a transient, feel-good experience, but at a high cost to all involved.”
― Charles Danten, Un vétérinaire en colère - Essai sur la condition animale

“Animals are certainly attached to us, but they do not love us in the true sense of the word: their dependence is ensured when we take advantage of the imprint mechanism, the biological phenomenon that guarantees they will identify with us for life.”
― Charles Danten, Un vétérinaire en colère - Essai sur la condition animale