ANIMAL LINKS
Related to Animal Allies: Interspecies Loving Kindness
Contents
A Look at Man Through the Vapid
Eyes of His Captives by Pierre Tristam 3/7/10 - On the capture and use of large
wild animals for human entertainment, how they express their frustration, and
how the look in their eyes is exactly that of prison inmates. It’s time to stop this captivity and
allow remaining wild animals to be wild.
Kin
Under Skin: What elephants and humans have in common by G.A. Bradshaw 9/13/09 - Despite the difference in size, human and elephant brains are
surprisingly similar. Neuroscience reveals there are no appreciable differences
in brain structures and mechanisms between humans and other animals. Even
birds, with evolutionary history that took a separate path, have brain
functions and capacities convergent with their mammalian counterparts. Mental
receptivity and brain plasticity endow the elephant matriarch with wisdom.
Sadly, it is the same plasticity that makes humans and elephants vulnerable to
suffering. Abuse and neglect leave enduring scars. What we experience in the
outside world penetrates deep inside, even to the point of turning genes on and
off. Traumatic memories persist, but wrongs can be righted with love.
Bee Celestial Navigation And Non-Human
Intelligence by Laurance R.
Doyle 8/27/09 - Bees
are the only other species, to date, that have been shown to communicate with
symbolic language -- that is, they can "talk" about details of
something that is not present. (We note that psychologists dispute the use of
the term "symbolic" being applied to any non-human communication
systems, but bee scientists regularly apply this term to describe bee
language.) And what do bees "talk" about? Mostly astronomy -- in
particular
about the Sun; where it is as compared to where the flowers
are. And how do they "talk"? Mostly they dance!
Humanity Even For Nonhumans by Nicholas D. Kristof 4/8/09 -
One of the historical
election landmarks last year had nothing to do with race or the presidency.
Rather, it had to do with pigs and chickens – and with overarching ideas
about the limits of human dominion over other species.
Trans-Species Psychology by The Karulos Center 2009 - Trans-species
psychology represents a new species-inclusive paradigm of learning and
knowledge-making. Its establishment involves a new way of thinking and behaving
towards animals, that we are all "kin under skin, fin, feather, and
fur." The "trans" in trans-species psychology signifies that
there is no scientific basis for maintaining separate fields and models for
animal and human psychology. Until recently, animals were thought to lack many
attributes, such as emotions, feelings, sophisticated cognitive capacities,
culture, the ability to feel pain, and other qualities that presumably defined
humans uniquely. This differentiation provided a rationale for objectifying
animals, one that has enabled the widespread trauma and crisis now prevalent in
animal cultures. Today, however, scientific theory and data are congruent with
our sensibilities. Though individual differences may exist, the same
psychobiological theories and models that hold for people also hold for other
animals.
Transformation
through service: trans-species psychology and its implications for ecotherapy by
G.A. Bradshaw - We know now that psychology and
psychotherapy apply not only to the human psyche but equally and seamlessly to
the psyches of our animal relatives. So what does this imply for ecotherapy? Internationally known animal trauma expert Gay
Bradshaw challenges therapists to overcome the inherent anthropocentrism of
their field, and suggests that only by striving for the well-being of other animals can we ensure our own well-being. The new psychology represents a profound paradigm shift. By
recognizing a shared psychobiology, science catalyzed a move from
anthropocentrism to ecocentrism, a term
suggesting that humans are not the center of the universe or any more gifted
than the rest of the Earth’s rich faunal family.
Half Of
Mammals 'In Decline', Says Extinction 'Red List' 10/6/08
The road to extinction by Sarah Meyer 8/27/08 - Links to articles from summer 2008 on the converging
ecological, economic, and political crises, with emphasis on climate change and
species extinctions.
The
Butterfly Effect by Dan Southerland 8/24/08 - A man's
one-in-a-million close encounter with an insect convinces him that the theory
is true: The fluttering of gossamer wings can change the world.
A mother's grief: Heartbroken gorilla cradles her dead baby by Marcus Dunk
8/19/08 - Gorillas usually have a strong attachment to their own kind. Like
other apes with a well-developed social structure, gorillas mourn the death of
loved ones. They exhibit both care
for the dead and sadness at their passing - even keeping the body close
until it begins decomposing. While
such behaviour was once considered uniquely human,
examples such as this show that the gap between us and the
animal world is not as wide as many believe.
Review of primates finds 303 species threatened 8/5/08 - Almost half the world's
primate species are under threat of extinction because they are being eaten or
having their homes destroyed by humans.
'They're Like Us,' Elephant Researchers Say by
Kimberly Launier 7/24/08 - From
Kenya to Tennessee, elephants with PTSD symptoms are finding some peace.
The new legal hot topic: animal law by
Rebecca Dube 7/15/08 -
Some experts compare
animal law today to environmental law in the 1970s - just emerging from its
reputation as a special-interest niche (with a tinge of left-wing loony) to
become a solid discipline that is widely accepted and potentially lucrative for
practitioners.
When Human Rights Extend To Nonhumans by Donald G. McNeil Jr. 7/13/08 - If you caught your son burning ants with a magnifying glass, would it
bother you less than if you found him torturing a mouse with a soldering iron?
How about a snake? How about his sister?
Increasing our compassion footprint by Marc Bekoff 6/29/08 - In the eyes of the law animals are mere property
and they can be treated like backpacks, couches, and bicycles with no legal
recourse. The animals’ own eyes tell us that they don't like this at all. They
do, of course, have a point of view.
Whisper -
The White Wolf by
Jessica Teel - After she realized I didn’t have a fish, she tried
to get me to play. Like the body language of domestic dogs, she lowered
her front legs, dipping down with her butt in the air, which is an invitation
to play. I wish I had known how to appropriately respond, and wonder if I
could have engaged in a friendly game of chase with a wild wolf. The
ability for animals to reach out and invite humans into their lives is
astonishing and a testament to how special wild spaces can be when they are
free from the violence of hunting.
'Laughs'
not exclusive to humans 1/2/08
A Patient's Best Friend: My dog's amazing gift with hospice patients
By Jon Katz 1/2/08
The
Communicators by
Charles Seibert 12/30/07 - They were not unusually
gifted members of their respective species, Washoe and Alex. But armed with our
words, they opened our minds, making us aware of the pervasive and protean
nature of the linguistic impulse across species.
A
Tribute To Washoe And Alex by Con Slobodchikoff 11/3/07
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Washoe |
Sharing
a joke: empathy among apes by Ian Sample
A
Religious Proclamation for Animal Compassion
Comprehensive Compassion, an Interview with Brian Swimme
Daring
rescue of whale off Farallones 12/05
What’s
the Use of Pets? Wildness and domesticity at Global Pet Expo by Ginger
Strand
Kill
the Cat That Kills the Bird? by Bruce Barcott 12/2/07
Chilling Lessons: On the Arctic's ephemeral terrain, bears teach humans to survive by Richard Nelson 1/08
Orangutans
'may die out by 2025' by Alex Kirby 1/12/04
Message Delivered by a Bear by Paul Shepard 1994 – A letter to humanity from
the Others, the animals.
Animal Emotions: Do animals think and feel? - Marc Bekoff’s blog
Bear in Mind: Exploring the common minds and
emotions of people and other animals and their lives together - G.A. Bradshaw’s
blog
The Inner
Lives of Animals: Understanding
animal behavior -
The Kerulos Center: kin under skin, fin, feather and fur - Our
mission is to end animal exploitation, promote compassionate human-animal
relationships, and create news ways of living to ensure animal dignity and
freedom. The Kerulos Center puts
this mission to work through sanctuary, research, education, and service.
Reconnect with Nature Blog – by ethologist Con Slobodchikoff, who’s
done ground-breaking work on prairie dogs, pardon the
pun.
Animal Intelligence: they’re smarter than you
think… - a blog on the relationships of animals, human and nonhuman. Great stories and videos.
Best Friends Animal Society – Renowned
no-kill animal sanctuary
The N'kisi Project - A
collaborative research project by Rupert Sheldrake and Aimee Morgana
on the abilities of her African Grey parrot N'kisi. Aimée Morgana noticed that her language-using African Grey parrot, N'kisi,
often seemed to respond to her thoughts and intentions in a seemingly
telepathic manner.
The Current Mass Extinction
- Mass Extinction Underway -The Web's Most Comprehensive Source
of Information on the Current Mass Extinction
The Most Recent Animal
Extinctions
The
Animals’ Platform - Animal
protection is more than a matter of personal conviction and lifestyle choice – it is also a public policy issue. Modeled
after a document developed by animal protection groups in the UK, The Animals’
Platform consists of six sections that address: companion animals; wildlife;
captive wildlife; animals in agriculture; animals in research, testing and
education; and humane education. The goal is to successfully facilitate the passage of effective
legislation for animals.
Being with Animals – Interview
with author Barbara King 1/28/10 - Americans spend billions of
dollars and countless hours caring for their pets. An anthropologist explains
the bond between humans and animals and its importance to our evolution. Audio.
The BioDaVersity Code – animated
cartoon on the web of life
Call of Life: Facing the Mass
Extinction – Species
Alliance 3-min. trailer
Seven
Days with Seven Dogs: A 4 min. trailer of a ‘Dog-umentary’
of a family road trip with 7 elderly dogs.
Birth of two Hummingbirds – photo
essay 2/8/05 – 3/9/05
Lion hugs a woman –
Captive lion reaches out and hugs woman who rescued him years before.
South African 'Lion
King' Is Like One Of The Pride – “Lion whisperer” Kevin
Richardson and his pride
ORIGINAL
Elephant Painting an elephant
with poppy flower
The Witness - Trailer
Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home – Trailer
One With The Herd: A
Spiritual Journey
Animal Comment by
Mark Fiore - humor
Susan Savage-Rumbaugh on apes - Savage-Rumbaugh's work with bonobo apes, who can understand spoken language and learn tasks by watching, forces the audience to rethink how much of what a species can do is determined by biology -- and how much by cultural
exposure.
Jane Goodall:
What separates us from the apes?
Traveling from Ecuador to Africa, Jane Goodall takes the audience on an ecological journey,
discussing highlights and low points of her experiences in the jungle. She
shows how progress is helping research (DNA analysis) and hurting the
environment (clear-cutting). And she draws a dozen parallels between primate
and human behavior, making the point that we really aren't all that different.
Our big advantage, she says, is the ability to communicate with sophisticated
spoken language -- yet, sadly, we are abusing this
power and destroying the planet. She urges the TED audience to behave
differently, and use their higher powers to correct the planet's course.
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Peaceable Kingdom: the
Journey Home
The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill
Creating Space for Nature: a wilderness
solo
My Bush
Soul: the Mountain Lion
Conversation
with a Mountain Chickadee
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Eli tomcat & Charlie coyote pup © Shreve Stockton
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Lion populations have fallen by almost 90% in the
past 20 years, leaving the animal close to extinction in Africa. But it's not just lions.
Populations of all African predators are plummeting. The wild dog population
has fallen to between 3,500 and 5,000 and there are now fewer than 15,000
cheetahs. People know about elephants, gorillas and rhinos, but they seem
blissfully unaware that these large carnivores are nearing the brink.
©
2010 Suzanne Duarte