‘When Animals Rescue’: Reflections on Kindness and Morality
In matters of the heart, animals are not so very different from us. They not only demonstrate emotions that we associate with our best human qualities, but they can even demonstrate a sense of morality.
MARC BEKOFF: If you thought that only humans were capable of virtuous behavior, think again. Belinda Recio’s new book, When Animals Rescue: Amazing True Stories about Heroic and Helpful Creatures, will open your eyes to the breadth and depth of nonhuman kindness.
Belinda weaves in fascinating facts with astonishing stories about all kinds of animals—large and small, domesticated and wild—acting in compassionate ways. We need a book like this—about what Jessica Pierce and I call ” wild justice “—not only to learn more about how other animals demonstrate kindness and their moral lives, but also to inspire more of this behavior in our own species…
When Animals Rescue reminded me of a story… told to me by renowned author Elizabeth Marshall Thomas titled “A Friend in Need.” Her story is about a dog named Ruby who helped another dog, Wicket, cross a partly frozen stream. Wicket was afraid to cross on her own, and Ruby, who had already crossed the stream, went back to Wicket, greeted her, and after around 10 unsuccessful attempts, convinced Wicket to follow her across the ice…
While books like Belinda’s are timeless, its publication now is much-needed in a world in which far too much violence is directed toward countless nonhumans in a wide variety of venues. Belinda’s interview is a nice follow-up to a discussion with Sarat Colling about her book called Animal Resistance in the Global Capitalist Era. Here’s what Belinda had to say about her most important and inspirational book…
MB: What are some of the topics that are woven into your book and what are some of the major messages?
BR: The book presents dozens of examples of animals behaving empathetically and altruistically. I included stories about humpback whales protecting a biologist from a shark, a pride of lions rescuing a girl from kidnappers; gorillas working together to dismantle poacher snares that were hurting their young and their elders; a parrot protecting her human companion by warding off an attacker in a park; an elephant trying to rescue a baby rhino; and many more. The book’s primary message is that, in matters of the heart, animals are not so very different from us. They not only demonstrate emotions that we associate with our best human qualities, [but] they can even demonstrate a sense of morality. SOURCE…
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