The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons for Expanding Our Compassion Footprint »

Dr. Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and is a scholar-in-residence at the University of Denver’s Institute for Human-Animal Connection.

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.

Publishers Weekly

A collaborator with legendary primatologist Jane Goodall and the 2000 winner of the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society, author and Colorado University professor Bekoff (The Emotional Lives of Animals) lays out the "unique responsibilities" of human beings, as "moral agents," to overcome speciesism and recognize animals "as fellow sentient, emotional beings," with all the attendant rights that implies. Taking examples from everyday life-from rodeos and circuses to word-processors that replace "who" with "that" when referring to animals-Bekoff illustrates the lengths to which humans go to convince themselves animals don't think, feel, and suffer like we do. Concerning a topic of growing popularity, Bekoff's arguments can be less than rigorous; an "unwavering optimist and dreamer," he focuses more on anecdotes and emotions ("alienation from nature... kills our hearts") than practicalities or a concrete agenda. Instead, Bekoff encourages readers to start simply, by being "mindful" in their interactions with animals. Addressing a weighty issue with gentle but insistent charm, Bekoff's manifesto will nudge skeptics in the direction of enlightenment (assuming anyone but the choir is buying copies).
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Introduction Our Common Bonds of Compassion 1

Reason 1: All Animals Share the Earth and We Must Coexist 23

Reason 2: Animals Think and Feel 53

Reason 3: Animals Have and Deserve Compassion 79

Reason 4: Connection Breeds Caring, Alienation Breeds Disrespect 103

Reason 5: Our World Is Not Compassionate to Animals 127

Reason 6: Acting Compassionately Helps All Beings and Our World 177

Acknowledgments 213

Endnotes 215

References 237

Index 249

About the Author 261