Foreword by Jane Goodall

This spellbinding tribute to Puma concolor honors the big cat's presence on the land and in our psyches. In some essays, the puma appears front and center: a lion leaps over Rick Bass's feet, hurtles off a cliff in front of J. Frank Dobie, gazes at Julia Corbett when she opens her eyes after an outdoor meditation, emerges from the fog close enough for poet Gary Gildner to touch. Marc Bekoff opens his car door for a dog that turns out to be a lion. Other works evoke lions indirectly. Biologists describe aspects of cougar ecology, such as its rugged habitat and how males struggle to claim territory. Conservationists relate the political history of America's greatest cat. Short stories and essays consider lions' significance to people, reflecting on accidental encounters, dreams, Navajo beliefs, guided hunts, and how vital mountain lions are to people as symbols of power and wildness.

Contributors include Rick Bass, Marc Bekoff, Janay Brun, Julia B. Corbett, Deanna Dawn, J. Frank Dobie, Suzanne Duarte, Steve Edwards, Joan Fox, Gary Gildner, Wendy Keefover-Ring, Ted Kerasote, Christina Kohlruss, Barry Lopez, BK Loren, Cara Blessley Lowe, Steve Pavlik, David Stoner, and Linda Sweanor.

Bekoff (ecology and evolutionary biology, U. of Colorado, Boulder) is a regional coordinator for Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots program and a member of the Ethics Committee of the Jane Goodall Institute. His main areas of research include animal behavior, cognitive ethology, and behavior ecology, and he has written extensively on animal protection. In this text, he combines stories of animal joy, empathy, grief, embarrassment, anger, and love with scientific research confirming the existence of animal emotions. Originally published in 2007, the text is made available to a wider audience with the 2008 paperback edition. Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

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:

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Are some species more valuable or more important than others?
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Do some animals feel pain and suffering and not others?
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Do animals feel emotions?
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Should endangered animals be reintroduced to places where they originally lived?
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Should animals be kept in captivity?
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Are there alternatives to using animals for food, clothing, cosmetic testing, and dissection in the science classroom?
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What can we learn by imagining what it feels like to be a dog or a cat or a mouse or an ant?
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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.

What is it like to be a dog, or a chimpanzee, or an ant? How do animals communicate? Why do they play? Can animals feel emotions like empathy and grief? These and many other questions are answered in the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, the most authoritative, comprehensive, and accessible resource on the scientific study of animal behavior. Contributors consist of an international group of well-respected animal behavior scholars and authorities from many different disciplines, including biology, psychology, anthropology, sociology, philosophy, veterinary medicine, and religious studies. 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. Informed by the best and most recent scholarship, entries are written with the lay public in mind, and all material is explained in understandable, jargon-free language. This user-friendly resource will appeal to students and scholars of animal behavior, animal advocates, and anyone with a love for animals.

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.

In Minding Animals, Marc Bekoff takes us on an exhilarating tour of the emotional and mental world of animals, where we meet creatures who do amazing things and whose lives are filled with mysteries.
Following in the footsteps of Konrad Lorenz and Niko Tinbergen, Bekoff has spent the last 30 years studying animals of every stripe--from coyotes in Wyoming to penguins in Antarctica. He draws on this vast experience, as well as on the observations of other naturalists, to offer readers fascinating stories of animal behavior, including grooming and gossip, feeding patterns, dreaming, dominance, and mating behavior. He offers a thought-provoking look at animal cognition, intelligence, and consciousness and he presents vivid examples of animal passions, highlighting the deep emotional lives of our animal kin. All this serves as background for his thoughtful conclusions about humility and animal protection and animal well-being, where he urges a new paradigm of respect, grace, compassion, and love for all animals.
Minding Animals is an important contribution to our understanding of animal consciousness, a major work that will be a must read for anyone who loves nature.
'To find out about the rich emotional life of nonhuman species, read Minding Animals.'---Natural History

Un famoso etologo svela senza reticenze gli aspetti più sfuggenti della vita animale, come l'intelligenza, le emozioni, la capacità di soffrire. Legando i dati sperimentali agli aneddoti, Marc Bekoff sottolinea il punto di vista di molti animali diversi: dal proprio cane, compagno di vita e assistente sul campo, ai pinguini di Adelia, studiati in Antartide, ai coyote, di cui analizza l'affascinante comportamento sociale.