Not just about birds, but butterflies, bees, insects, other critters, humans, even trees… and home. What makes a home and compels critters t3.25 stars
Not just about birds, but butterflies, bees, insects, other critters, humans, even trees… and home. What makes a home and compels critters to create that home and either migrate to/from or just want to “cocoon” and stay there?
I found some of the info more interesting than others. Of course, it started off with birds and other critters that migrate and how they manage to find their way to/from. But the book expands far beyond, even speculating on humans and home. I have to agree with others that I could have done without the hunting chapter. Even though this wasn’t an audio book, I did lose interest at times, though, which is why the rating somewhere between “ok” and “good” for me....more
As the title suggests, this book looks at bird intelligence. How intelligent are birds? And how do we measure this?
It’s hard to base intelli3.5 stars
As the title suggests, this book looks at bird intelligence. How intelligent are birds? And how do we measure this?
It’s hard to base intelligence on what humans think is smart. I think it’s similar to culturally-biased IQ tests, really. Birds don’t need to know the same things as humans. That being said, there are things that birds know or can figure out that is comparable to humans and/or other primates. They are smart, IMO. Most of us know how smart corvids (crows, ravens, etc) are, but other birds are smart, too, in different ways, including sparrows, pigeons… some birds that aren’t “traditionally” thought of as smart. Some of the things discussed in the book include songs, migration, tools, aesthetically—pleasing displays, etc. I listened to the audio, but I bet I would have taken in more had I actually read it in print or via ebook. ...more
Temple Grandin is autistic and has a Ph.D. in animal science. She works to made conditions for animals better – on ranches and farms, in sla4.5 stars.
Temple Grandin is autistic and has a Ph.D. in animal science. She works to made conditions for animals better – on ranches and farms, in slaughterhouses and plants, in zoos, etc. In this book, she has an introductory chapter talking about animal emotions, then individual chapters on different animals: dogs, cats, cows, horses, pigs, chickens, and, more generally, wildlife and zoos. She explains how to make animals lives better. With all her experience and training, she can give lots of good examples to explain what she means.
I think Temple Grandin has an amazing insight into animals and their behaviour because of her autism (and she talked a lot about the link between animals and autistic people in “Animals in Translation”). She is a good middle of the road voice for animals – she’s not an extreme activist, but she is working hard to make sure animals are treated well and don’t suffer. Even the animals I am not all that familiar with, I found very interesting to read about in this book. The way she describes things is very matter-of-fact, and it is horrifying the way some animals are treated, but there was only one time I was almost in tears, in the chicken chapter. Even she was horrified, despite all she’s seen, with the conditions in the chicken plant she described.
If you are at all interested in animals and/or animal behaviour (and/or work with animals in any way), I highly recommend this book. ...more
The subtitle sums up this book in just a few words, but to be more specific, the author talks to people who have been studying elephants, wolves, and The subtitle sums up this book in just a few words, but to be more specific, the author talks to people who have been studying elephants, wolves, and whales (and travels to the places to see the animals). One additional section does not focus on any one specific type of animal, but looks at many different animals and various studies of animal observation and behaviour.
If there are still people out there who think animals don’t think or feel, they are deluding themselves. Anyone who spends any time around animals at all has to realize. And it seems most or all are smarter than we think. And how do we define “intelligence”, anyway? In human terms. Even IQ tests are biased. The author points out many instances where if we held humans to the same standards as scientists hold animals when they are being studied, humans may not fare very well, either.
Of the three animals that were mainly focused on, I have read very little about whales, so I probably learned the most in that section. Sadly (and to no surprise for most of us), each of these animals are having a hard time surviving with everything humans are doing to their world, and this is touched on toward the end of the sections for each of the animals. If we start to “understand” them a bit better, will that help change things we are doing to our world (as it affects them so much)?...more
This was originally written in 1990, 30 years after Jane Goodall went to Gombe National Park in Tanzania to study chimpanzees My edition was 4.5 stars
This was originally written in 1990, 30 years after Jane Goodall went to Gombe National Park in Tanzania to study chimpanzees My edition was published in 2010, so there is even extra info with a preface and an afterword written by Jane in 2009. This continues/updates her first book on the chimps of Gombe, In the Shadow of Man.
I read In the Shadow of Man a number of years ago, but I loved revisiting the same chimps and their offspring, and following them later in the their lives! Jane is also an adamant activist/conservationist, so at the end of the book, after all the extra chimp information and updates (which really is the bulk of the book), she writes a little bit about human-raised chimps, chimps used in experiments, chimps losing their habitat, etc. There are a number of photos of the chimps included, as well. Overall, I really really enjoyed reading this!...more
Author Rita Mae Brown based some of her mysteries on one of her cats, Sneaky Pie. As an animal lover, she has written this memoir about all the variouAuthor Rita Mae Brown based some of her mysteries on one of her cats, Sneaky Pie. As an animal lover, she has written this memoir about all the various animals she has known and loved, including cats, dogs, horses, and various wildlife.
As an animal-lover myself, I really enjoyed this. I agree with a lot of what she has to say, and disagree with some, but then I'm a city-person and she's a country-person and having grown up in a small town, I do realize that we see things differently. However, it's very obvious how much she loves animals, so underneath it all, we're on the same page. ...more
Walt and Judy want children, but are unable to have any. When Walt sees a chimpanzee at a circus, he decides he will get one for his wife, in3.5 stars
Walt and Judy want children, but are unable to have any. When Walt sees a chimpanzee at a circus, he decides he will get one for his wife, in place of a child. They love Looee very much, like a son, but as with all wild animals, as he ages, he is too much to handle.
There is a chimpanzee sanctuary where people are studying the chimps’ behaviour. In the story, we alternate between Walt/Judy/Looee’s perspectives, and the perspectives of the people and chimps at the sanctuary.
I listened to the audio and at first, particularly when we switched to the sanctuary, I had some trouble initially figuring out what was going on. It was interesting to see things from the chimps’ perspectives at times, though. And heartbreaking. I also had trouble getting “into” the book at the start knowing Walt and Judy had done a terrible thing treating a wild animal as a child; There was no way it was going to end well for Looee. I felt like the book didn’t fully end, but it’s possible I missed something (audio), or maybe the author wanted “life” to just sort of continue on. ...more
This book looks at cat behavior, including big and small cats. There is also an extensive section on lions and their culture. There are a lo3.75 stars
This book looks at cat behavior, including big and small cats. There is also an extensive section on lions and their culture. There are a lot of anecdotes included in the book.
I quite liked this. Found it interesting, and there were some very nice illustrations. One thing that bothered me was her referring to mates as “husbands” and “wives”, though....more
This is (primarily) a look at the rescue and rehabilitation of Michael Vick’s fighting dogs.
It starts off heartbreaking as we get the background of tThis is (primarily) a look at the rescue and rehabilitation of Michael Vick’s fighting dogs.
It starts off heartbreaking as we get the background of the dogs as they were kept in Vick’s yard. And there is some discussion of the trial, etc, but moreso it follows the investigation into what happened and all the behind-the-scenes stuff as they gathered evidence against Vick and the other men who bred and fought these dogs.
But the bulk of the story follows (some of) the dogs after they are rescued. These dogs, unlike other fighting dogs before them, were not immediately euthanized, There were rescues that came to help with foster homes and sanctuaries to see if they could be rehabilitated and the vast majority of them were. Many found forever homes and some (as of the publishing of the book in 2010) were living in sanctuaries where volunteers continued to work with them. It was hard to read about one of the shelters that took some of them in right away – it’s a rough shelter with not much in the way of amenities.
There are sad parts thrown in as if it’s from one dog’s point of view, as well. Some of the work with the scared dogs reminded me of my volunteering with shy/scared cats, to be honest. The end of the book did a “where are they now?” for both the dogs and the people involved. Of course, “now” was around the time of publication over a decade ago. I realized that none of the dogs are probably living now. ...more
Roger Fouts was a psychology student in the late 1960s when he got a job helping with a chimpanzee, Washoe, to study whether or not chimps co4.5 stars
Roger Fouts was a psychology student in the late 1960s when he got a job helping with a chimpanzee, Washoe, to study whether or not chimps could learn human language by way of ASL (American Sign Language). Despite that he really wanted/planned to work with kids, this began decades of research with, then activism for, chimpanzees. He and his family (wife and eventually three kids) moved where Washoe was either sent or where was best for her. Roger was unable to help many other chimpanzees he met along with way (though he was able to help a few), but (often with Jane Goodall’s help), he fought to make living conditions for chimpanzees used in research in the U.S. better.
He was still fighting for changes in 1997 when the book was published, but on checking today, things have gotten better – not for all chimps, but for many (most?). There were a few sections in the book where he was talking about research and studies that got just a bit dry, but for the most part, I loved reading about the chimps and the studies and was (to no surprise) horrified at what he saw in the medical research labs. Whether in my psychology or anthropology classes 30ish years ago, I had heard of both Fouts and Washoe, as well as many of the other scientists and studies Fouts mentions in this book. I went through a bunch of emotions reading this book – happiness, sadness, anger... I love that he ended up being an activist, and wanted(s) to see change. I can’t believe it took me so long to finally read this book!...more
Isabel is running a study of bonobos learning sign language and communicating with humans. Her entire world changes (as does the bonobos' world) when Isabel is running a study of bonobos learning sign language and communicating with humans. Her entire world changes (as does the bonobos' world) when there is an explosion in the lab, Isabel is hurt, and the bonobos are taken away. Isabel is on a mission to find them, as she considers them her family.
I really liked this, but then, I love animals! The sign language studies are fascinating. I have to say that I'm glad I was reading this at home at the point where Isabel went through a place that does testing/experimentation on animals. That was super-tough to read (yet sadly, those places are out there). I did make the mistake of reading a few reviews the day I started reading it, so I did read something that I would have preferred not to know, but that was my mistake. My copy had an Author's Note and a Reader's Guide at the end where Gruen talked about her research for the book, which I always find interseting. You can tell, even without reading that, though, that how much she loves animals, herself. ...more
This is a nonfiction account of the author's study of birds. She looks at mating, migration, song, colour, and more for various species of bi3.5 stars
This is a nonfiction account of the author's study of birds. She looks at mating, migration, song, colour, and more for various species of bird.
It started off a little slow for me, but overall, this was good. It did pick up a bit, I thought. A lot of the species she was looking at were not ones I have seen, but it was still interesting to learn about their habits and how varied they are. She doesn't really talk much about climate change and how the environment is affecting them (she has another book for that), except in the epilogue and it was mentioned maybe once or twice otherwise. The focus of this one is simply the birds' behaviour....more
Farley Mowat was a new biologist when, in the 1950s, he was hired by the Canadian government to go to the Arctic to count wolves and to see what kind Farley Mowat was a new biologist when, in the 1950s, he was hired by the Canadian government to go to the Arctic to count wolves and to see what kind of impact they were having on caribou numbers. Instead, he ended up doing a close study of wolf behaviour, which mostly contradicted what he'd been told about wolf behaviour before he went.
For some odd reason, I've never read anything by Mowat. I don't know why because I love animals, and being Canadian, I try to read Canadian authors. This was such a good book. It was humourous and it was so interesting to get to know the wolf family that he watched during his time there. A lot of the wolf behaviour he found, I think is fairly well-known now, but I don't think it was then. It must have been amazing to be discovering it for the first time!...more
Scientists are trained not to “anthropomorphize” animals, which includes attributing “human” emotions to them. Yet, even as pet guardians, we can ofteScientists are trained not to “anthropomorphize” animals, which includes attributing “human” emotions to them. Yet, even as pet guardians, we can often tell that our pets are happy or sad. This book takes a look at anecdotes and studies that, though they weren’t intended to show whether or not animals have emotions, they seem to show it.
I found this really interesting. I know of a lot of the animals mentioned (some of Jane Goodall’s chimps, Dian Fossey’s gorillas, Irene Pepperberg’s parrot, Alex, and more from my psychology classes in university), but this book brings them all together in one place to show what most people would agree, that animals do feel.
Be warned that Masson is vegan and you can tell his feelings about certain things (vivisection, for instance), but I agree with most of his points, so it didn’t bother me. This was written in 1995,"Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, Susan McCarthy...more
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