In the last few decades, a wealth of new information has emerged about who animals are—smart, aware, and empathetic. Studies show that they’re astounding beings with intelligence, emotions, intricate communications networks, and myriad abilities.

In animalkind: Remarkable Discoveries About Animals and Revolutionary New Ways to Show Them Compassion, Ingrid Newkirk and Gene Stone present these findings in a concise and awe-inspiring way, detailing a variety of fascinating examples: that geese fall in love and stay with a partner for life even at great personal risk, squirrels bury nuts by the position of the stars, pigeons navigate by low-frequency radio waves, fish “sing” underwater, and elephants use their trunks to send subsonic signals, alerting herds a mile or more away to danger or a source of water.

Newkirk and Stone pair their tour of the mesmerizing lives of animals with a guide to some exciting ways that allow humans to avoid using and abusing them as our society has done in the past. They show readers what they can do in their everyday lives to ensure that the animal world is protected and respected. Whether it’s in the realm of medicine, product testing, food, clothing, or entertainment, there are now far better, quicker, cheaper, and more humane alternatives to all the ways animals were once used in human life. We no longer send canaries down coal mines, deliver the mail by Pony Express, or kill rabbits in pregnancy tests—so why not modernize by phasing out all animal exploitation and feel good about doing so?!

With a foreword by Mayim Bialik, animalkind is a fascinating study of why our fellow sentient beings deserve our respect—and moreover, a collection of steps that every reader can take to put this new understanding into action.

Author Biographies

Praise for animalkind:

“With wisdom and eloquence, Ingrid Newkirk and Gene Stone remind us of what we’ve always known, but too often forget: animals are deserving of our care.”

— Jonathan Safran Foer, New York Times bestselling author of Eating Animals

“We share this planet and the same kingdom with the animals and although we feel superior to them, they have senses that far surpass ours. This book shows how much we have to learn from them beginning with compassion, simplicity and unconditional love. It is a must read.”

— Dr. Marty Goldstein, author of The Nature of Animal Healing

“Humanity’s survival depends upon our learning to live in harmony with all other species. The second law of ecology is the law of interdependence. Without bees, phytoplankton, worms and trees we cannot live; without dogs, cats, horses, elephants and penguins we cannot be truly happy. We are a part of them as they are a part of us and together we are the planet Earth. Ingrid Newkirk and Gene Stone have done a wonderful service to us all with their stories of kindness and compassion. The book is truly inspiring.”

— Captain Paul Watson, CEO and founder of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society

“This book makes the spot-on case that the future of laboratory research will not be based on four-legged or tail-wagging models, but rather on sophisticated, human-relevant and high-tech animal-free testing methods. As Newkirk and Stone point out, these modern technologies are delivering better human health outcomes and are benefiting patients, physicians and researchers.”

— John Pawlowski, MD, PhD, Harvard Medical Faculty Physician

“This is the book to buy, read, and give to others so that everyone finally sees why they should respect and cherish all animals.”

— Anjelica Huston, Oscar winning actress

“What animalkind reveals only reinforces my belief that some of the most brilliant individuals you could ever hope to meet have fur, fins or feathers.”

— Alan Cumming, stage and screen actor

“A resourceful guide…a treasure of greater compassion, integrity and awareness, animalkind is both a moving compendium of animals’ remarkable intelligence and emotional complexity, and a manual of all the ways we can stop accepting and contributing to their slaughter and exploitation.”

— Joy Williams, author The Quick and the Dead and The Changeling

“animalkind is a much-needed antidote to viewing other animals as second-class citizens and offers a fresh look into the cognitive and emotional lives of other animals. This thought provoking and engaging book will change your view of who other animals are and how you should interact with them in respectful and compassionate ways. It could be a game-changer.”

— Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., author of The Emotional Lives of Animals

“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, Emmy winning actress

“A fascinating look at animal behavior, as well as a treatise against cruelty toward animals… Newkirk and Stone’s informative survey effectively nudges readers to think twice about their own use of products sourced, perhaps less than ethically, from the animal kingdom.”

— Publishers Weekly

“This emotional and informative book should be required reading for everyone! I urge you to pick it up and embrace its beautiful message of compassion and understanding. The time is now for all of us to fall in love with animalkind!”

— Mike White, filmmaker, actor, and producer

“This book takes you by the hand and leads you, enchanted, into the wonderful world of diverse animal life.”

— James Cromwell, Emmy winning actor

Is Animalkind still just on your reading list?

If you haven’t gotten your hands on a copy, head over to Amazon.com.au now.