Why Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed
Author Marc Bekoff
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.
Marc Bekoff is Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and a former Guggenheim Fellow. In 2000 he was awarded the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society for major long-term contributions to the field of animal behavior and in 2009 he was presented with the Saint Francis of Assisi Award by the Auckland (New Zealand) SPCA. Marc has published more than 800 scientific and popular essays and twenty-five books including Minding Animals, The Ten Trusts (with Jane Goodall), The Emotional Lives of Animals, Animals Matter, Animals at Play: Rules of the Game, Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals. The Animal Manifesto: Six Reasons for Expanding Our Compassion Footprint, Ignoring Nature No More: The Case For Compassionate Conservation, Jasper’s Story: Saving Moon Bears, Why Dogs Hump and Bees Get Depressed: The Fascinating Science of Animal Intelligence, Emotions, Friendship, and Conservation, and and two editions of the Encyclopedia of Animal Rights and Animal Welfare, the Encyclopedia of Animal Behavior, and the Encyclopedia of Human-Animal Relationships. In 2005 Marc was presented with The Bank One Faculty Community Service Award for the work he has done with children, senior citizens, and prisoners as part of Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots program. His websites are marcbekoff.com and, with Jane Goodall, www.ethologicalethics.org.