This book examines one of the most pressing cultural concerns that surfaced in the last decade - the question of the place and significance of the animal. This collection of essays represents the outcome of various conversations regarding animal studies and shows multidisciplinarity at its very best, namely, a rigorous approach within one discipline in conversation with others around a common theme. The contributors discuss the most relevant disciplines regarding this conversation, namely: philosophy, anthropology, religious studies, theology, history of religions, archaeology and cultural studies. The first section, Thinking about Animals, explores philosophical, anthropological and religious perspectives, raising general questions about the human perception of animals and its crucial cultural significance. The second section explores the intriguing topic of the way animals have been used historically as religious symbols and in religious rituals. The third section re-examines some Christian theological and biblical approaches to animals in the light of current concerns. The final section extends the implications of traditional views about other animals to more specific ethical theories and practices.

Living work of art, consumer commodity, scientific hero and environmental menace: the humble goldfish is the ultimate human cultural artefact. A creature of supposedly little memory and short lifespan, it has universal appeal. In ancient China, goldfish were saved from predators in acts of religious reverence and selectively bred for their glittering grace. In the East, they became the subject of exquisite art, regarded as living flowers that moved, while in the West, they became ubiquitous residents of the Victorian parlour. Cheap and eminently available, today they are bred by the millions for the growing domestic pet market, while also proving to be important to laboratory studies of perception, vision and intelligence. In this illuminating homage to the goldfish, Anna Marie Roos challenges the cultural preconceptions of a creature often thought to be common and disposable, as she blends art and science to trace the surprising and intriguing history of this much-loved animal.

Documentary photographer Lee Craker traveled to northern Thailand to study the plight of the Asian elephant. What he found is an industry fueled by greed and funded by tourism with little regard for the future of this noble animal. He also found dedicated people committed to helping the endangered elephants. This book came to be out of a request from one of Thailand's most prominent elephant activists, Lek Chailert, who when asked what could be done to save the elephants of Thailand, said, "Please educate people." This cry for education was shared by other prominent elephant activists in Thailand who played a large part in the research and and development of this book, I am indebted to John Roberts, Dan Bucknell, Carol Stevenson and many others who are fighting for the elephants in Thailand and around the world.

In the United States roughly 2 million people are incarcerated; billions of animals are held captive (and then killed) in the food industry every year; hundreds of thousands of animals are kept in laboratories; thousands are in zoos and aquaria; millions of "pets" are captive in our homes. Surprisingly, despite the rich ethical questions it raises, very little philosophical attention has been paid to questions raised by captivity. Though conditions of captivity vary widely for humans and for other animals, there are common ethical themes that imprisonment raises, including the value of liberty, the nature of autonomy, the meaning of dignity, and the impact of routine confinement on physical and psychological well-being. This volume brings together scholars, scientists, and sanctuary workers to address in fifteen new essays the ethical issues captivity raises. Section One contains chapters written by those with expert knowledge about particular conditions of captivity and includes discussion of how captivity is experienced by dogs, whales and dolphins, elephants, chimpanzees, rabbits, formerly farmed animals, and human prisoners. Section Two contains chapters by philosophers and social theorists that reflect on the social, political, and ethical issues raised by captivity, including discussions about confinement, domestication, captive breeding for conservation, the work of moral repair, dignity and an ethics of sight, and the role that coercion plays.

A collaboration between an attorney and an animal protection advocate, this work utilises the extremely controversial and high-profile "crush video" case, US v. Stevens, to explore how American society attempts to balance the protection of free speech and the prevention of animal cruelty. Starting from the detailed case study of a single prominent ruling, the authors provide a masterful survey of important issues facing society in the area of animal welfare. The Stevens case included various "hot topic" elements connected to the role of government as arbiter of public morality, including judicial attitudes to sexual deviance and dogfighting.

Renowned authority Marian Stamp Dawkins' new work presents an illuminating and urgent argument for the need to rethink animal welfare. In the vein of Temple Grandin's work, Dawkins explains that this welfare must be made to work in practice to have any effect, and cannot be tinged by anthropomorphism and claims of animal consciousness, which lack firm empirical evidence and are often freighted with controversy and high emotions. Instead, animal-welfare efforts must focus on science and on fully appreciating the critical role animals play in human welfare. With growing concern over such issues as climate change and food shortages, how we treat those animals on which we depend for survival needs to be put squarely on the public agenda. Dawkins seeks to do this by offering a more complete understanding of how animals help us. In the end, it is human self-interest that will drive changes in our treatment of animals. Taking positions that might surprise and will certainly challenge animal lovers, Dawkins presents a persuasive argument for why animals truly matter.

This book deals with the ability of animals to feel, perceive or be conscious, or to have subjective experiences. In Taiwan a cow separated from owner, goes on hunger strike. In rural Cambodia, a motherless child finds mother in a cow as he suckles her. Down in Australia a flood heroine, after rescuing her owner, is leading a pampered existence. In Brazil's Pantanal swamps, a cow was seen wandering among the crocodiles while in India, the land of holy cows, a bull hero is booked out for two years. Meanwhile, up in Alps the Swiss are combating stress by renting out the mountain cows while in Germany, the nation's focus has been on Yvonne, the runaway cow. There are numerous such stories here. Cows rule and cow rock The great blind spot of our modern Civilization is the mistreatment and disregard for non-human life in nearly every capacity.

Life is all about variety, and no where is that truer than in the animal kingdom. There are different kinds of dogs, horses, fish, rabbits; you name it. This book will take you into the lives of many of those animals. If you didn't care before, or know that you should, remember that many of these creatures are vanishing from off the Earth. It's my job and yours to see to it that doesn't happen, or to at least slow the downward spiral. If you haven't been to your local zoo in a while, maybe today or tomorrow will be a good time to visit. Some of those same animals may not be here in ten or twenty years. Get to know many of them and get behind them; they all need our support.

From Mickey Mouse to the teddy bear, from the Republican elephant to the use of "jackass" as an all-purpose insult, images of animals play a central role in politics, entertainment, and social interactions. In this penetrating look at how Western culture pictures the beast, Steve Baker examines how such images--sometimes affectionate, sometimes derogatory, always distorting--affect how real animals are perceived and treated. Baker provides an animated discussion of how animals enter into the iconography of power through wartime depictions of the enemy, political cartoons, and sports symbolism. He examines a phenomenon he calls the "disnification" of animals, meaning a reduction of the animal to the trivial and stupid, and shows how books featuring talking animals underscore human superiority. He also discusses how his findings might inform the strategies of animal rights advocates seeking to call public attention to animal suffering and abuse. Until animals are extricated from the baggage of imposed images, Baker maintains, neither they nor their predicaments can be clearly seen. For this edition, Baker provides a new introduction, specifically addressing an American audience, that touches on such topics as the Cow Parade, animal imagery in the presidential race, and animatronic animals in recent films.

We're finally going to get the bill for the Industrial Age. If the projections are right, it's going to be a big one: the ecological collapse of the planet, says Jeremy Rifkin. At the dawn of the industrial age two hundred years ago, we took a wrong turn when we started living on nature's capital instead of nature's incomes. We started gorging upon resources that took nature millions of years to create. These resources were saved up by nature according to its own plan of functioning. Nature has her own way; she better understands her own affairs than we. We have one planet to live on and all our needs have to be satisfied with whatever is in here. We can not import a thing from other planets for our survival, no matter how much we advertise our dubious moon missions. All we can do is blow up billions and console the taxpayers with few rocks. This senseless exploitation of resources can not go on forever. This cradle to grave economics in which we turn every natural resource into a toxic waste is inherently unsustainable. In nature, there is no such thing as waste. So called waste generated by one living being is effectively utilized by another and so on until nothing is left. This is called the cycle of life. But today our linear system of living has replaced this natural cyclical system. This is where cow comes into picture. Living with cow is living on nature's incomes without depleting its capital resources. In the natural plan of Vedic living, human society depends on cows for its requirements of economic prosperity, food production, soil fertility, nutrition, healthcare, fuel supply, transport, spiritual wellbeing, sustainable development, individual and social peace, higher consciousness, development of human qualities, performance of religious duties, environmental protection, ecological preservation, advancement of art & culture, cottage industry etc. Many of the maladies staring in our face today can be traced to this factor - humanity distancing itself from the timeless culture of cow protection.

The term sacred cow finds its origin in the ancient Vedic tradition, dating back to thousands of years. What really prompted these folks to revere and worship the cows? Were they really so stupid as to worship an animal? Are we really that smart now to ridicule their idea? Why didn't they propose to worship any other animal like tiger, dog or monkey. This book delineates various aspects of cow sciences as presented by the voice of an old civilization, Vedas.

Many people think that animal liberation would require a fundamental transformation of basic beliefs. We would have to give up "speciesism" and start viewing animals as our equals, with rights and moral status. And we would have to apply these beliefs in an all-or-nothing way. But in "Ethics and the Beast," Tzachi Zamir makes the radical argument that animal liberation doesn't require such radical arguments--and that liberation could be accomplished in a flexible and pragmatic way. By making a case for liberation that is based primarily on common moral intuitions and beliefs, and that therefore could attract wide understanding and support, Zamir attempts to change the terms of the liberation debate.

Without defending it, "Ethics and the Beast" claims that speciesism is fully compatible with liberation. Even if we believe that we should favor humans when there is a pressing human need at stake, Zamir argues, that does not mean that we should allow marginal human interests to trump the life-or-death interests of animals. As minimalist as it sounds, this position generates a robust liberation program, including commitments not to eat animals, subject them to factory farming, or use them in medical research. Zamir also applies his arguments to some questions that tend to be overlooked in the liberation debate, such as whether using animals can be distinguished from exploiting them, whether liberationists should be moral vegetarians or vegans, and whether using animals for therapeutic purposes is morally blameless.

If you love animals and are dismayed when you see stories of animal abuse and cruelty in the news; if you ever wished you could do something about it, but you just didn't know where to start, this book has you covered. Just 30 seconds a day on the Internet can not only make a difference, but can also change the world. This inspiring, informative and highly useful resource is for novices as well as experienced animal rescuers. Combining case histories with practical tips, this guide demonstrates how to use the Internet to advocate for dogs; from simple clicks to more advanced methods. This guide will show you how just one person can put change in motion. Award-Winning Finalist in the Animals/Pets category of The 2013 USA Best Book Awards, sponsored by USA Book News.

The Fourth Seal ...and when I had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say "Come and see," And I looked and behold a running pale dead animal. And the name of he who sat on the animal ...was Death, and Hell followed ...them. And power was given unto them over the four parts of the earth, to kill with the beasts of the earth ...-From the Book of Revelation Animals that have been skinned for their furs are coming back to life and skinning the people wearing their furs! Animals have been hunted and killed for thousands of years. They were part of God's food chain and kept everyone alive. For the last one hundred years, furs have become charmingly fashionable; and now animals are skinned for just their furs. Their bloody remains and bodies are left to rot. Skinz follows the lives and family stories of furry animals that ultimately end up being skinned for their pelts to create coats for undeserving humans. Integrating real facts with their stories, Stevens paints a realistic picture of the torture that the animals experience in the creation of these garments. Now it's the animals' turn to repay mankind ...and they're pissed!

You might think that the protection of animals' rights is a modern, Western concern. In fact, people all over the world and down the ages have cared what happens to animals, and not just the cute mammals. Today animals need protecting more than ever: their lives are used and abused in laboratories, zoos and hunts, and they are reared intensively on farms. And out in the wild, animals are losing their habitats to logging and oil exploration. This "No-Nonsense Guide" explains the key issues, charts the growth of the animal rights movement and looks at welfare and protection laws. And it includes a practical day to day guide to what you can do to minimise exploitation.

Presents perspectives on animal welfare and includes speeches and government documents, essays from international magazines, and news sources.

As the title reflects, this nonfiction book is an expression of thoughts and ideas mirroring the environment and our experiences. Although these thoughts originated in India, they are universal in nature and represent an outpouring of emotions, thoughts, facts, imaginations, and sensitivities at different levels. Bouquet of Brain Waves throws light on universal bonding, the essence that binds us with everything around to make us feel one with matter, animals and people. The author talks about the simplicity of children and education, in contrast to the present complex system that complicates a child's mind, and shows concern for animals in our man-dominated nature. She reflects on the practical importance of English as a global language, yet her imagination longs to surge into space and its celestial bodies to discover the awe-inspiring spirit of the universe. The poetry reaches the practical as well as the most sensitive areas of life, nature, and the absurdities of living, and the attitude of society toward the female (The divine Devi!) is perfectly portrayed in its perverted form. The author does not try to teach, but in the process, the reader invariably realises the hidden sensitivities, blurred values, changed environment, unavoidable practicalities, and the urge of imaginations that complete our learning in life and nature. A retired teacher, Sumathi Kulkarni lives in India. "The unique characteristic of my country is its multiplicity of culture, language, and religion that bonds its people to weave into a spiritually beautiful nation. It is rich in its heritage spread throughout the length and breadth of its land. One life is insufficient to understand its beauty of existence." Publisher's website: http://sbpra.com/SumathiKulkarni

Global trade in illegal wildlife is a growing illicit economy, estimated to be worth at least $5 billion and potentially in excess of $20 billion annually. Some of the most lucrative illicit wildlife commodities include tiger parts, caviar, elephant ivory, rhino horn, and exotic birds and reptiles. Demand for illegally obtained wildlife is ubiquitous, and some suspect that illicit demand may be growing. This book provides an overview of illegal wildlife crime with a focus on determining funding levels for U.S. wildlife trade inspection and investigation; evaluating the effectiveness of U.S. foreign aid to combat the wildlife trade; using trade sanctions to penalise foreign countries with weak enforcement of wildlife laws; incorporating wildlife trade provisions into free trade agreements; and addressing the domestic and international demand for illegal wildlife through public awareness campaigns and non-governmental organisation partnerships.

For the first time in history, humans sit unchallenged at the top of the food chain. As we encroach on the wild and a vast wave of extinctions gathers force, how has our relationship with animals changed? In this dazzling essay, Anna Krien investigates the world we have made and the complexity of the choices we face. From pets to the live cattle trade, from apex predators to scientific experiments, Krien shows how we should - and do - treat our fellow creatures. As she delves deeper, she finds that animals can trigger primal emotions in us, which we are often unwilling to acknowledge. This is a clear-eyed meditation on humanity and animality, us and them, that brings out the importance of animals in an unforgettable way. "I am not weighing up whether our treatment of animals is just, because it isn't. That age-old debate is a farce - deep down we all know it. The real question is, just how much of this injustice are we prepared to live with?" - Anna Krien, Us & Them About the Author: Anna Krien's first book, Into the Woods, won the Queensland Premier's Literary Award for Non-Fiction and the Victorian Premier's People's Choice Award. Her writing has been published in the Monthly, the Age, Best Australian Essays, Best Australian Stories and the Big Issue.

If we want to improve the treatment of animals, Dominique Lestel argues, we must acknowledge our evolutionary impulse to eat them and we must expand our worldview to see how others consume meat ethically and sustainably. The position of vegans and vegetarians is unrealistic and exclusionary. Eat This Book calls at once for a renewed and vigorous defense of animal rights and a more open approach to meat eating that turns us into responsible carnivores. Lestel skillfully synthesizes Western philosophical views on the moral status of animals and holistic cosmologies that recognize human-animal reciprocity. He shows that the carnivore's position is more coherently ethical than vegetarianism, which isolates humans from the world by treating cruelty, violence, and conflicting interests as phenomena outside of life. Describing how meat eaters assume completely-which is to say, metabolically-their animal status, Lestel opens our eyes to the vital relation between carnivores and animals and carnivores' genuine appreciation of animals' life-sustaining flesh. He vehemently condemns factory farming and the terrible footprint of industrial meat eating. His goal is to recreate a kinship between humans and animals that reminds us of what it means to be tied to the world.