Chickens can count. Pigs are smarter than poodles. Cows form close friendships. Turkeys know one another by their voices, and sheep recognize faces—of other sheep, and of people. Far from lacking thoughts and feelings, barnyard creatures demonstrate sophisticated problem-solving abilities, possess rich social lives, and feel a wide range of emotions. In other words, they’re much like humans in countless ways. And, like us, they suffer physical pain and mental anguish.
In The Inner World of Farm Animals, Amy Hatkoff combines the latest research on the emotional and intellectual capacities of farm animals with touching—and often surprising—stories to bring their inner world to life. Soulful photographs of cows, goats, lambs, and other barnyard animals complement the text, and add to the belief that these creatures deserve our attention. In this heartfelt book, Hatkoff joins the growing call for treating these sentient, aware beings with compassion and respect. "THE INNER WORLD OF FARM ANIMALS will surely change your mind about the emotional lives of these wonderful beings. Moving stories of Alice, a doting and dancing turkey, Hope and Johnny, two loving pigs, and Olivia, a goat with a wonderful personality, woven in with the latest scientific research, make it clear that we must stop abusing them and other hapless animals for our own selfish needs. The easiest way for us to increase our compassion footprint is to appreciate animals for who they are -- amazing individuals who care deeply about what happens to them."
--Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals, Animals Matter, Animals at Play, and Wild Justice: The Moral Lives of Animals (with Jessica Pierce)
"All animal lovers will love this book. Farm animals are sentient and they have true emotions. The photography in the book is gorgeous."
--Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation
"A beautiful, evocative, and pretty much perfect book--this book will leave you changed for the better."
--Rory Freedman, co-author of Skinny Bitch
"This beautiful, well-researched book should make every meat-eater think differently about the lives of the animals that turn up on his or her plate."
--Peter Singer
"Amy Hatkoff's insightful book addresses a question we've finally started asking: just how evolved is our place in the food chain, anyway? It's time we realized we are dealing with sentient beings rather than assembly-line widgets. Books like this one point to a more enlightened road: the future depends on us taking it."
--Dan Barber, Owner and Executive Chef, Blue Hill restaurants
"The Inner World of Farm Animals brings together a fascinating mix of science and story-telling about the intelligence and emotional lives of farm animals. A treasure-trove book, which will delight, amaze, cause laughter and, possibly, a tear or two."
--Joyce d’Silva, Compassion in World Farming