Marc Bekoff

A biological researcher draws on years of work in animal communications to support the existence of animal emotions, sharing a wealth of case studies that illuminate the evolutionary purposes of animal feelings while calling for a rethinking of current practices of animal cruelty.

A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy--and why They Matter

The Emotional Lives of Animals

Jessica Pierce

Scientists have long counseled against interpreting animal behavior in terms of human emotions, warning that such anthropomorphizing limits our ability to understand animals as they really are. Yet what are we to make of a female gorilla in a German zoo who spent days mourning the death of her baby? Or a wild female elephant who cared for a younger one after she was injured by a rambunctious teenage male? Or a rat who refused to push a lever for food when he saw that doing so caused another rat to be shocked? Aren’t these clear signs that animals have recognizable emotions and moral intelligence? With Wild Justice Marc Bekoff and Jessica Pierce unequivocally answer yes. Marrying years of behavioral and cognitive research with compelling and moving anecdotes, Bekoff and Pierce reveal that animals exhibit a broad repertoire of moral behaviors, including fairness, empathy, trust, and reciprocity. Underlying these behaviors is a complex and nuanced range of emotions, backed by a high degree of intelligence and surprising behavioral flexibility. Animals, in short, are incredibly adept social beings, relying on rules of conduct to navigate intricate social networks that are essential to their survival. Ultimately, Bekoff and Pierce draw the astonishing conclusion that there is no moral gap between humans and other species: morality is an evolved trait that we unquestionably share with other social mammals. Sure to be controversial, Wild Justice offers not just cutting-edge science, but a provocative call to rethink our relationship with—and our responsibilities toward—our fellow animals.

The Moral Lives of Animals

Wild Justice

In this inspirational call to action, Marc Bekoff, the world’s leading expert on animal emotions, gently shows that improving our treatment of animals is a matter of rethinking our many daily decisions and “expanding our compassion footprint.” He demonstrates that animals experience a rich range of emotions, including empathy and compassion, and that they clearly know right from wrong. Driven by moral imperatives and pressing environmental realities, Bekoff offers six compelling reasons for changing the way we treat animals — whether they’re in factory farms, labs, circuses, or our vanishing wilderness. The result is a well-researched, informative guide that will change animal and human lives for the better.

Six Reasons for Expanding Our Compassion Footprint

The Animal Manifesto

Nonhuman animals have many of the same feelings we do. They get hurt, they suffer, they are happy, and they take care of each other. Marc Bekoff, a renowned biologist specializing in animal minds and emotions, guides readers from high school age up—including older adults who want a basic introduction to the topic—in looking at scientific research, philosophical ideas, and humane values that argue for the ethical and compassionate treatment of animals. Citing the latest scientific studies and tackling controversies with conviction, he zeroes in on the important questions, inviting reader participation with “thought experiments” and ideas for action. Among the questions considered: • Are some species more valuable or more important than others? • Do some animals feel pain and suffering and not others? • Do animals feel emotions? • Should endangered animals be reintroduced to places where they originally lived? • Should animals be kept in captivity? • Are there alternatives to using animals for food, clothing, cosmetic testing, and dissection in the science classroom? • What can we learn by imagining what it feels like to be a dog or a cat or a mouse or an ant? • What can we do to make a difference in animals’ quality of life? Bekoff urges us not only to understand and protect animals—especially those whose help we want for our research and other human needs—but to love and respect them as our fellow beings on this planet that we all want to share in peace.

A Biologist Explains Why We Should Treat Animals with Compassion and Respect

Animals Matter

"What would happen to dogs if humans simply disappeared? Would dogs be able to survive on their own without the help of humans? Many people assume that dogs are so dependent on people that they could not and would not survive in a world without us. But is this true? And why does it matter to contemplate such a scenario? In this book, the authors argue that dogs would, as a species, survive without us and that imagining a world for dogs without humans allows us to explore a number of fascinating questions about the past, present, and future of dogs. The book opens by presenting the current state of dogs, including the surprising fact that of the c. 500 million dogs in the world only 20% are pets while the rest are street dogs, feral dogs, or strays, suggesting diversity in the ways which dogs exploit human habitats and by extension how they would fare without us. From there, the authors explore what is known about dog origins and their co-evolution with humans. The heart of the book draws on evolutionary biology to imagine what dogs might become, biologically, absent humans. For example, if dogs were no longer subjected to artificial selection pressures what would their evolutionary path look like? Would dogs become like their wolf ancestors? Would dogs maintain the evolved socio-cognitive skills that facilitate communication with humans? How would they interact with other animals? The authors conclude the book by asking whether dogs would be better or worse without humans, as imagining a world in which dogs are "wild" raises questions about pet keeping practices and about the costs of captivity for dogs. Ultimately, as the authors say, in thinking about who dogs might become without us we gain fresh insight into who dogs are on their own terms are and how our relationships with them can best benefit us both"--

Imagining the Lives of Dogs in a World Without Humans

A Dog's World

No matter how cushy their lives, dogs live on our terms. They compromise their freedom and instinctual pleasure, as well as their innate strategies for coping with stress and anxiety, in exchange for the love, comfort, and care they get from us. But it is possible to let dogs be dogs without wreaking havoc on our lives, as biologist Marc Bekoff and bioethicist Jessica Pierce show in this fascinating book. They begin by illuminating the true nature of dogs and helping us "walk in their paws."; They reveal what smell, taste, touch, sight, and hearing mean to dogs and then guide readers through everyday ways of enhancing dogs's freedom in safe, mutually happy ways. The rewards, they show, are great for dog and human alike.

A Field Guide to Giving Your Canine Companion the Best Life Possible

Unleashing Your Dog

Jane Goodall

Now in paperback– the ten things we must do to ensure a safe and peaceful world, from legendary environmentalist Jane Goodall and brilliant animal behaviorist, Marc Bekoff. Combining her life's work living among the chimpanzees with her spiritual perspective on the relationship between humans and animals, legendary behavioral scientist Jane Goodall sets forth ten trusts that we as humans have as custodians of the planet: 1. Respect all life 2. Live as part of the Animal Kingdom 3. Educate our children to respect animals 4. Treat animals as you would like to be treated 5. Be a steward 6. Value the sounds of nature and help preserve them 7. Do not harm life in order to learn about it 8. Have the courage of your convictions 9. Act knowing that your actions make a difference 10. Act knowing that you are not alone. Filled with inspirational stories, The Ten Trusts provides lessons Jane Goodall has learned from a lifetime of experience, with the warmth and emotion her readers have come to expect from her. Marc Bekoff, cofounder of the Roots and Shoots program with Jane, also contributes his profound insights and research, which Jane has come to rely on. Together, they share their hope and vision for humanity and all the earth's creatures, distilled into ten eloquent spiritual lessons. Within these ten trusts, Goodall reveals how we can gain true enlightenment by living in harmony with the animal kingdom and honoring the interconnection between all species.

What We Must Do to Care for The Animals We Love

The Ten Trusts

For all the love and attention we give dogs,  much of what they do remains mysterious. Just think about different behaviors you see at a dog park: We have a good understanding of what it means when dogs wag their tails--but what about when they sniff and roll on a stinky spot? Why do they play tug-of-war with one dog, while showing their bellies to another? Why are some dogs shy, while others are bold? What goes on in dogs' heads and hearts--and how much can we know and understand?     Canine Confidential has the answers. Written by award-winning scientist--and lifelong dog lover--Marc Bekoff, it not only brilliantly opens up the world of dog behavior, but also helps us understand how we can make our dogs' lives the best they can possibly be.  Rooted in the most up-to-date science on cognition and emotion--fields that have exploded in recent years--Canine Confidential is a wonderfully accessible treasure trove of new information and myth-busting. Peeing, we learn, isn't always marking; grass-eating isn't always an attempt to trigger vomiting; it's okay to hug a dog--on their terms; and so much more. There's still much we don't know, but at the core of the book is the certainty that dogs do have deep emotional lives, and that as their companions we must try to make those lives as rich and fulfilling as possible. It's also clear that we must look at dogs as unique individuals and refrain from talking about "the dog." --amazon.com

why dogs do what they do

Canine confidential

Dzika sprawiedliwość. Moralne życie zwierząt

Drawing on years of research, the author argues that animals have emotionally rich lives, and presents stories of animal grief, joy, and embarassment.

"Explore the real-world experiences of five categories of animals, beginning with those who suffer the greatest deprivations of freedoms and choice{u2014}chickens, pigs, and cows in industrial food systems{u2014}as well as animals used in testing and research, including mice, rats, cats, dogs, and chimpanzees. Next, Bekoff and Pierce consider animals for whom losses of freedoms are more ambiguous and controversial, namely, individuals held in zoos and aquaria and those kept as companions. Finally, they reveal the unexpected ways in which the freedoms of animals in the wild are constrained by human activities and argue for a more compassionate approach to conservation. In each case, scientific studies combine with stories of individual animals to bring readers face-to-face with the wonder of our fellow beings, as well as the suffering they endure and the major paradigm shift that is needed to truly ensure their well-being" --Inside jacket.

Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age

The Animals' Agenda

In 2009, Marc Bekoff was asked to write on animal emotions for Psychology Today. Some 500 popular, jargon-free essays later, the field of anthrozoology — the study of human-animal relationships — has grown exponentially, as have scientific data showing how smart and emotional nonhuman animals are. Here Bekoff offers selected essays that showcase the fascinating cognitive abilities of other animals as well as their empathy, compassion, grief, humor, joy, and love. Humpback whales protect gray whales from orca attacks, combat dogs and other animals suffer from PTSD, and chickens, rats, and mice display empathy. This collection is both an updated sequel to Bekoff’s popular book The Emotional Lives of Animals and a call to begin the important work of “rewilding” ourselves and changing the way we treat other animals.

The Fascinating Science of Animal Intelligence, Emotions, Friendship, and Conservation

Why Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed

Colin Allen

George V. Lauder

Within the natural sciences, only biologists take seriously teleological statements about design, purpose and adaptive function. Some biologists claim that to understand the complex morphological and behavioural traits of organisms we must say what they are for, which is to give a teleological explanation of why organisms have them. Others argue that the theory of natural selection, in providing statistical explanations for the same phenomena, obviates any need for teleological thinking. If teleology cannot be eliminated from biology, it raises fundamental questions about the nature of biological explanation and about the relationship of biology to the rest of science.

Analyses of Function and Design in Biology

Nature's Purposes

In wildlife conservation, rewilding refers to restoring habitats and creating corridors between preserved lands to allow declining populations to rebound. Marc Bekoff, one of the world’s leading animal experts and activists, here applies rewilding to human attitudes. Rewilding Our Hearts invites readers to do the essential work of becoming reenchanted with the world, acting from the inside out, and dissolving false boundaries to truly connect with both nature and themselves.

Building Pathways of Compassion and Coexistence

Rewilding Our Hearts

Gijsbert van Frankenhuyzen

Jill Robinson

Presents the true story of Jasper, a moon bear held in captivity for fifteen years while his bile was extracted for medicinal use, who was eventually rescued by the Moon Bear Rescue Centre and regained his health and freedom.

Saving Moon Bears

Jasper's Story

From two of the world’s leading authorities on dogs, an imaginative journey into a future of dogs without people What would happen to dogs if humans simply disappeared? Would dogs be able to survive on their own without us? A Dog’s World imagines a posthuman future for dogs, revealing how dogs would survive—and possibly even thrive—and explaining how this new and revolutionary perspective can guide how we interact with dogs now. Drawing on biology, ecology, and the latest findings on the lives and behavior of dogs and their wild relatives, Jessica Pierce and Marc Bekoff—two of today’s most innovative thinkers about dogs—explore who dogs might become without direct human intervention into breeding, arranged playdates at the dog park, regular feedings, and veterinary care. Pierce and Bekoff show how dogs are quick learners who are highly adaptable and opportunistic, and they offer compelling evidence that dogs already do survive on their own—and could do so in a world without us. Challenging the notion that dogs would be helpless without their human counterparts, A Dog’s World enables us to understand these independent and remarkably intelligent animals on their own terms.

Sahip olduğumuz duygular bize atalarımızdan armağandır. Hayvanlar da benzer duygulara sahiptir. Peki tüm hayvanlar aynı şeyleri mi hissederler? Araştırmalar gösteriyor ki fareler sadece empatik kemirgenler değil, aynı zamanda eğlenceyi seven canlılardır. Bir fil kalın derisinin altında hassas bir kalp taşır. Zevk düşkünü iguanalar, mizah duygusu olan atlar, âşık balinalar, travma sonrası stres bozukluğu yaşayan filler, yas tutan susamurları, acı çekmekte olan eşekler, kızgın babunlar, duygusal balıklara dair hikâyeler okumaya hazır mısınız? Otuz yılı aşkın bir süredir hayvanların tutkularını ve hayvani erdemlerini inceleyen ödüllü bilimadamı Biyoloji Profesörü Marc Bekoff’un, çeşitli türlerin sosyal iletişimini incelediği bu önemli kitap, hayvanların zengin bir duygusal dünyası olduğunun ispatı niteliğinde. Bekoff, hayvan sevinci, empatisi, kederi, utancı, öfkesi ve sevgisinin olağanüstü hikâyelerini, sağduyu ve deneyimle birlikte son bilimsel araştırmalarla ustaca harmanlıyor. Bekoff’un, mizahi ve dokunaklı hikâyelerle dolu olan Hayvanların Duygusal Dünyası adlı bu kitabı hem hayvanları nasıl gördüğümüzü hem de onlara nasıl davrandığımızı yeniden değerlendirme üzerine açık bir çağrıdır. Hayvan duygularının büyüleyici dünyasına hoş geldiniz. “Hayvanların Duygusal Dünyası, dünyamızı paylaştığımız hayvanlara karşı tutumlarını değiştirmeye çalışan insanların gün geçtikçe kalabalıklaşan korosuna güçlü bir ses katıyor.” – Jane Goodall “Çekici, meydan okuyucu ve okunası bir kitap...” – Booklist “Bu düşündürücü kitap, muhtemelen hayatınızı değiştirecek.” – The Animals Voice

Hayvanların Duygusal Dünyası

Entries examine a broad array of different species and behavior patterns, using techniques that range from molecular approaches to the study of behavior to analyses of individuals, populations, species, and ecosystems.

Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior: D-P

For all the love and attention we give dogs, much of what they do remains mysterious. Just think about different behaviors you see at a dog park: We have a good understanding of what it means when dogs wag their tails—but what about when they sniff and roll on a stinky spot? Why do they play tug-of-war with one dog, while showing their bellies to another? Why are some dogs shy, while others are bold? What goes on in dogs’ heads and hearts—and how much can we know and understand? Canine Confidential has the answers. Written by award-winning scientist—and lifelong dog lover—Marc Bekoff, it not only brilliantly opens up the world of dog behavior, but also helps us understand how we can make our dogs’ lives the best they can possibly be. Rooted in the most up-to-date science on cognition and emotion—fields that have exploded in recent years—Canine Confidential is a wonderfully accessible treasure trove of new information and myth-busting. Peeing, we learn, isn’t always marking; grass-eating isn’t always an attempt to trigger vomiting; it’s okay to hug a dog—on their terms; and so much more. There’s still much we don’t know, but at the core of the book is the certainty that dogs do have deep emotional lives, and that as their companions we must try to make those lives as rich and fulfilling as possible. It’s also clear that we must look at dogs as unique individuals and refrain from talking about “the dog.” Bekoff also considers the practical importance of knowing details about dog behavior. He advocates strongly for positive training—there’s no need to dominate or shame dogs or to make them live in fear—and the detailed information contained in Canine Confidential has a good deal of significance for dog trainers and teachers. He also suggests that trainers should watch and study dogs in various contexts outside of those in which they are dealing with clients, canine and human, with specific needs. There’s nothing in the world as heartwarming as being greeted by your dog at the end of the workday. Read Canine Confidential, and you’ll be on the road to making your shared lives as happy, healthy, and rewarding as they can possibly be.

Why Dogs Do What They Do

Canine Confidential

Dale Jamieson

Professor Director of Environmental Studies Dale Jamieson

This collection of 24 readings is the first comprehensive treatment of important topics by leading figures in the rapidly growing interdisciplinary field of animal cognition. Taken togther the essays provide the nucleus for an introductory course in animal cognition (cognitive ethology and comparative psychology), philosophy of biology, or philosophy of mind.Selections are grouped in five sections: Perspectives on Animal Cognition; Cognitive and Evolutionary Explanations; Recognition, Choice, Vigilance, and Play; Communication and Language; and Animal Minds. Seventeen essays are reprinted from the authors much cited two-volume collection, Interpretation and Explanation in the Study of Animal Behavior. One essay taken from that book has been subsequently revised, and five additional essays are recent examples of critical thinking in cognitive ethology. The preface and final chapter, "Ethics and the Study of Animal Cognition," are new.A Bradford Book

Marc Bekoff

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