It has long been a source of irritation to me that far too many people project human values onto animals and judge them accordingly. The irrationality of such a posture seems not to dawn on Homo sapiens, and it assumes that "our" standards are correct and that "theirs" are wrong. Given the impoverished and degraded state of the planet (not caused by cockroaches, cowbirds or gulls I might add), and the proclivity of humans to engage in constant warfare, it seems a little rich for humans to take the high ground.
Marlene Zuk has written an entertaining and easily readable book defending the creatures we most like to hate. There are more of them than she includes in this book, but obviously there are limits to what can be covered in one volume. She combines her scientific expertise with her avowed respect for the creatures we have come to despise, without undue sentimentality, and urges us to examine the entire life style of the organism and not react only to certain behaviours we find detestable. There is much more to a Raccoon than being a pest at your garbage can.
Permit me the indulgence of a personal digression if you will. If a Red-tailed Hawk swoops down on a snake it generally receives applause and approval from people who witness the event. If the same hawk captures a pretty little songbird, or even a chipmunk, it is condemned and cursed. The fact that the bird is simply capturing food seems to be lost on the observers, some of whom will see no contradiction in their reaction as they go home to eat their lamb chops!
The ecosystems of the Earth are rich in beauty and diversity with symmetry and synergism aplenty and we need to stop categorizing animals as friend or villain. Take a moment to really get to know the creatures you profess to hate and you may garner a whole new level of respect.
You might even get to like some of them!
Outsider Animals: How the Creatures at the Margins of Our Lives Have the Most to Teach Us - Princeton University Press
Marlene Zuk
Hardcover - US$29.95 - ISBN: 9780691264240
312 pages - 5.5 x 8.5 inches (13.75 x 21.25 cm)
9 black-and-white illustrations
Publication date: 17 March, 2026
Yes, we humans are perhaps the stupidest creatures in the entire universe. We only think from our own perspective. I agree with everything you say, David.
ReplyDeleteHugs and kisses, Marit
Tómate un momento para conocer realmente a las criaturas que dices odiar y puede que ganes un nivel de respeto completamente nuevo...
ReplyDeleteDe acuerdo contigo, David. Me parece importante.
Espero que tengas un buen día.
Un saludo.
This seems like an interesting book to me.
ReplyDeleteHumans consider themselves superior to animals, which is something I don't like.
All the best, Irma
Animals are much more understandable to me than the behavior of some people. It has always been like this, but now it is growing in me more and more.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was a child, my favorite books were the works of a Hungarian writer (István Fekete) who wrote about animals. I should read them again!
I would also like the book you recommended.
Books aimed at children often carry important lessons for adults. Good literature is good literature, no matter the intended audience.
DeleteYes!
DeleteIstván Fekete's books were and are read by both children and adults then and now.
And I know that this is true not only in my country, but all over the world.
I am happy about such books too.
Hari OM
ReplyDeleteAs a defender of the Gulls of the world, I say hear! hear! YAM xx
I thought you might, YAM!
DeleteI often reflect on my reaction to animal behaviour and have to remind myself that there is an ecosystem, a web, a hierarchy that should be respected, not disturbed or disdained.
ReplyDeleteBravo!
DeleteAgree 100 % with you and the author of this book. It sounds great to me. The critters in our world kill for food, not for hate of skin color or to rob someone of their money, they don't bomb they just hunt for the food to survive. The wolf doesn't kill to hoard for the future but just what he needs to survive.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds interesting. Another one to add to the list. And I had to laugh at the raccoon. I looked out the back door one night last week and there was one sprawled out and relaxing on the deck. I think he's eaten too much bird food and decided to wait a bit until that was digested before he went for me. Happy belated birthday to you also David.
ReplyDeleteI live in a big city, so seeing a raccoon in my garbage bin is not gonna happen :-)) This sounds like a interesting book.
ReplyDeleteIt is in big cities where they pose the biggest problem, Angie.
Delete...David, another interesting one!
ReplyDeleteAnother very interesting book David, thank you! I feel very fortunate that my parents taught me to respect every living creature. Every one of them was a lesson for me to learn about. I passed on those same lessons to our son.
ReplyDeleteYou obviously had enlightened parents, Denise.
DeleteSounds like a very good book David. The only creatures on this earth that scare me and I dislike are humans!!! You know I am a fan of wasps, gulls, ants and spiders all of these are hated and misunderstood! Imagine a world without each of them.....I don't want to imagine that world frankly!
ReplyDeleteYou need to check with your local library to see whether they have this book, Ananka.
DeleteTom, I agree with you totally. A good book for sure. Have a nice day.
ReplyDeleteSounds like a very interesting read.
ReplyDeleteSome of my pet peeves are how people are afraid of, and hate bats and spiders. I am thrilled if I see moonlight hi-lighting a bat's wings as they swoop by a window at night, scooping up all the mosquitoes hovering there. Spiders, I won't start about that, but really??? There are several living in our house very companionably with us.
We cherish the spiders in our house, too.
DeleteI hope the "you" in your post was not specifically addressed to your readers - I would take real offense! But of course I am aware that there are people who make exactly the distinctions you mention here. I remember once blogging about the opossum that came regularly to visit us and boy! did one of the commenters rant about that. Many hugs - Carola
ReplyDeleteIt is a generic “you,” Carola, certainly not directed at naturalists like you.
DeleteI once heard someone refer to deer as "vermin". It wasn't meant as a compliment. The reference came about because is some "exurbs", deer often munch on flowers and bush in people yards, but that's only because humans have encroached so much the animal's natural habitat.
ReplyDeleteWe have also eliminated their natural predators so their numbers explode.
DeleteWhat an interesting book, dear David. Sometimes it seems we also apply a kind of "pretty privilege" to nature: if an animal is beautiful, we applaud it; if it's not so beautiful, we declare it a villain of the ecosystem. And yet, they are all simply doing… what nature taught them to do. I really like the book's invitation to look at these creatures with more curiosity and less prejudice. Perhaps, if we got to know them better, we would discover that even the annoying "neighbor" in the trash can has its own small and fascinating story in the grand tapestry of life. Have a faboulous night! 😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺😘🌺
ReplyDelete😘🌺😘🌺
How true is the story of the falcon.
ReplyDeleteInteresting review and as you probably know we don't have them here in Australia.
ReplyDeleteYou don’t have outsider animals in Australia? What about Cane Toads, Dingoes, rabbits, foxes, snakes……..
DeleteTotally agree We are quite the species Thinking we are rational but that is too far-fetched lol The ecosystem is very amazing and we tend to unsettle it were we can Sounds like a great book
ReplyDeleteAnthropocentric ideas are a product of the dominant inegalitarian culture that we are all forced to exist in, and hatred for specific animals stems from it. There is a need to shift our society to inclusivity, to understanding of our intricate connections to the rest of the natural world. Especially now that we live in anthropocene/capitalocene/necrocene. If this book can help that, then it's good. Change can start with appreciation for species cast often as "villains".
ReplyDeleteLijkt een mooi en goed boek te zijn David.
ReplyDeleteMooi dat je er aandacht aanbesteed.
Groetjes Tinie
One of the things that bothers me about the naturalist group is that there is a war going on against “invasive species.” I’m not sure how I think about that.
ReplyDeleteIt's a contentious topic and I tend to waffle somewhat, but when I see invasives like Phragmites australis and Impatiens glandulifera taking over entire ecosystems and swamping native species I feel that something has to be. The native White-headed Duck (Oxyura leucocephala) was threatened with extinction in Spain following the ill-advised introduction of Ruddy Ducks (Oxyura jamaicensis), so the only solution was a complete cull of the Ruddy Ducks which are not threatened in their natural range in North America. How do you feel about invasive rats and cats decimating island communities of seabirds?
DeleteInteresting topic: Outcast animals, David. It takes broad-mindedness and wisdom to describe such animals. We may not like them (they dig through trash containers, leave "footprints" on the lawn), but this is their world and their habits and behavior.
ReplyDeleteI don't like some people I meet but it doesn't mean I have to act in a hostile manner. Live and let live, I say, and that includes our animal kin.
DeleteAnimals are just beings trying to survive in a world that we've made so inimical to many of them. I remind myself of that when I see the raccoon or opossum on my back porch at night, checking to see if there's anything left in the cat bowl there.
ReplyDeleteSounds like an interesting read and definitely interesting commentary. YOU take special care.
ReplyDeleteNice book cover and book. Lots of humans are only concerned with themselves. There are lots of creatures I am not fond of but I don't wish them harm. I watch them go on their way to wherever that is.
ReplyDeleteHallo David,
ReplyDeleteEin sehr anregender Beitrag. Beim Lesen musste ich mehrfach nicken. Auch bei meinen eigenen Naturbeobachtungen fällt mir immer wieder auf, wie schnell wir Menschen Tiere nach unseren Maßstäben beurteilen. Dein Beispiel mit dem Bussard bringt diesen Widerspruch wunderbar auf den Punkt.
Gerade wenn man draußen unterwegs ist oder Tiere im Garten beobachtet, merkt man schnell, dass jedes Verhalten Teil eines größeren Zusammenhangs ist. Die Natur funktioniert ohne unsere moralischen Kategorien – und vielleicht liegt gerade darin ihre Klarheit.
Danke für diese kluge Buchbesprechung und für die Erinnerung, auch den weniger beliebten Arten mit etwas mehr Neugier und Respekt zu begegnen.
Your blog headline photo today matches mine!
ReplyDelete