PETA Global 2020 Issue 1

Gripping Tales of Elephant Funerals, Cow Kidnappers, and More in ‘ Animalkind ’ BUY THIS BOOK!

Mayim Bialik: © Photo: © Robert Sebree | Styling:Alison M. Kahn | Makeup: Kelsey Deenihan for Exclusive Artists

D o animals experience love? In PETA President Ingrid Newkirk’s new book, Animalkind, we get the answer straight from the source—the animals themselves. Love and Loss on the Savannah On October 10, 2003, in Kenya’s Samburu National Reserve, an elephant named Eleanor collapsed. The matriarch of her herd at forty years old, she had been sick for some time: her trunk was swollen and limp, one tusk was broken from a prior fall. Grace, a young elephant, rushed to her fallen friend and, using her tusks, tried to haul Eleanor back to her feet. But she was too weak. Grace called out in distress. Then, she seemed to understand. Instead of leaving, she remained next to her friend, gently stroking her. The following morning, after Eleanor had died, a parade of elephants gathered by her body, sniffing and stroking her. Over the next five days members of Eleanor’s family stayed by her, and even elephants from separate, unrelated families came to pay their respects. A research team who observed the elephants concluded that it was “an example of how elephants and humans may share emotions, such as compassion, and have an awareness and interest about death.” Dr. Thom van Dooren, an Australian anthropologist, told National Geographic magazine that there is “very good evidence to suggest that crows and a number of other mammals grieve for their dead.” Highly intelligent, corvids have been known to hold “funerals” for their fallen comrades. Upon the death of a friend, a flock of American crows will gather around the body for several hours. Can we even begin to imagine how deeply they must grieve when a friend or family member dies slowly and painfully in a senseless experiment like those that PETA is campaigning against at Colorado State University? By Ingrid Newkirk

“Buy this book for anyone you know who harbors even the slightest doubt that animals aren’t super-clever or that there aren’t many ways to help them because Newkirk and Stone show that animals are, and that you can.” – Edie Falco

Book: © iStock.com/gruffi • Mayim Bialik ad: Photo: © Robert Sebree | Styling:Alison M. Kahn | Makeup: Kelsey Deenihan for Exclusive Artists

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mothers, no matter if they have two, four, or eight legs, understand what it means to lose a child—that piece of themselves that can never be restored. When a cow on a dairy farm delivered twins, and knowing that one of her babies would be taken away from her—to be made into veal like most calves—in a “Sophie’s Choice” moment she brought one baby to the farmer and kept one hidden in secret. Songs in the Attic We will never be able to comprehend the depth and beauty of animal compassion. For proof, look no further than mice, who live their lives avoiding the gaze of humankind. Remember the mice in movies like Cinderella and Babe singing their sweet, high-pitched tunes? It turns out that real mice actually sing to each other in frequencies too high for the human ear to detect. Using sensitive microphones, Austrian scientists discovered that mice sing to each other during courtship—ultrasonic ballads only they can hear. If we can lie in bed oblivious to the love songs of our tiny friends, then what else are we missing? The greatest love stories of our time may be happening high in the sky, deep under the sea, inside the densest forests—or perhaps under our own floorboards, in the dead of night.

W]hile it may sound trite, knowledge really is power. Animalkind is a book that empowers readers with both the knowledge to understand who animals are (and to dispel the notion of “what” we assume they are) and the power to change the way the world treats them. WHY MAYIM BIALIK LOVES ANIMALKIND

information you can use to help animals every day in Animalkind, available at PETA.org/Store . Buy a copy for yourself, and buy extras for friends to help them on the road to living more compassionately.

The scientist in me appreciates Animalkind because it’s full of scientific studies, captivating data, and unbelievable facts about animal behavior. The vegan in me loves this book because it shows readers

how easy and rewarding it is to navigate the world without harming animals. Eating decadent, rich food, sporting fashionable purses and clothing that look and feel like “real” leather, and experiencing entertainment on screen or under the big top can still be a part of your life—all without harming another creature in the process.

I raise my boys to question things and not accept the world as it is just because it’s convenient or easy. I teach them to be just and kind, not complacent. I hope they grow up and continue to make life choices based on facts but also on empathy. Animalkind is a book that can teach them – and all of us – how to live this way. – Mayim Bialik

It is not solely a human characteristic to experience the ecstasy of love and the anguish of loss. All

Global 9

PETA’S 2020 VISION: AN ANIMAL KIND OF YEAR

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SPLENDOR IN THE GRASS