Beastly

May 15, 2023
An intriguing study of "the gargantuan story of our paradoxical relationship with the animal world." British nature writer Carew, author of Dadland and Quicksand Tales, offers a compelling mixture of memoir, history of human dealings with animals, and accounts of human-animal relations today, which includes fascinating and gruesome stories, brilliant individuals, and a modicum of hope. Most religious origin stories portray humans as having authority over animals, and humans have waged a centurieslong "war against nature," selecting animals based on "characteristics useful to us: meatiness, hardiness, woolliness, adaptability, docility, and we dispatched the individuals who didn't suit. Quite sinister. A bit like The Handmaid's Tale for farm animals." Still, writes the author, "we are more similar than alien, closer than far apart. When apes touch their lips together like kissing, it is kissing. When they put their arms around each other as if they were embracing, they are embracing." In addition, "fish feel pain." There follow two dozen vivid chapters describing human-animal relations, and readers should expect a rough ride. The mass slaughter of birds to decorate 19th-century women's hats is a conservation clich�, but the details will disturb even the most enlightened reader. They will also marvel at the dazzling accomplishments of homing, racing, and performing pigeons. Carew makes a convincing argument that killing animals for pleasure (fox hunting, trophy hunting) is a form of necrophilia, with hunters expressing intense, physical love of their victims. As "the smartest animals," humans have the tools for environmental preservation, although billionaires seem to accomplish as much as national governments. The author argues passionately for making "ecocide" a crime against humanity under international law along with genocide and war crimes. Since international law is unenforceable, nations can join for superficial reasons, but this turns out to produce some inconveniences for industries bent on destruction. Beautiful nature writing, the usual horrors, and modest optimism.

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May 22, 2023
In this eye-opening survey, memoirist Carew (Quicksand Tales) illuminates the varied ways humans have related to animals throughout history and contends that they’re more emotionally sophisticated than people give them credit for. Decrying the cruelty humans have inflicted on animals, Carew notes that ancient Romans killed thousands of bears, lions, and other creatures in the Colosseum and that 19th-century animal dealer Carl Hagenbeck used brutal methods to capture baboons, giraffes, and zebras in Africa, and ship them to zoos around the world. Other stories cast doubt on scientists who dismiss animals’ apparent displays of emotion as anthropomorphism. In 2011, for example, a humpback whale was filmed leaping out of the water 40 times over the course of an hour in joy after humans freed her from a fishing net. Carew also highlights the emotional bonds animals form with humans, describing how Polish wildlife photographer Lech Wilczek rescued a young raven who in adulthood rode around on Wilczek’s shoulder and the back of his motorbike. The heartwarming anecdotes persuasively attest to the complexity of animals’ interior lives, making a strong case for humans to reconsider how they treat other species. Impassioned and entertaining, this is a no-brainer for animal lovers. Photos.

June 1, 2023
The importance of animals to human beings is undeniable as food, transportation, protectors, pollinators, and companions. Carew writes, "Animals have shaped our minds, our lives, our land, our civilization, and they will shape our future, too." Yet our interactions with animals are complex and convoluted. Writing with both sympathy and fury, Carew thoughtfully tracks the plight of animals. The terrors of industrial animal farms are exposed and ghastly methods of slaughtering livestock described (an automated "throat slitter," a retractable bullet shot into the brain, electric stunning, gassing). The vileness of murdering animals for enjoyment (trophy hunting) is brought to light. Carew considers religious perspectives on animals, noting that while Augustine and Thomas Aquinas viewed creatures as soulless and only meant to serve the needs of man, Pope Francis said that animals will enter heaven, too. Carew considers animals' emotions, consciousness, and unique sensory worlds. Stink pits, the honeybee waggle dance, and solastalgia (a kind of homesickness) are among the many topics introduced in this thought-provoking and chilling inquiry. About the human animals, Carew cautions, "There is no ecosystem immune to us."

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