Elizabeth Leane

Carol Freeman

Yvette Watt

Considering Animals draws on the expertise of scholars trained in the biological sciences, humanities, and social sciences to investigate the complex and contradictory relationships humans have with nonhuman animals. Taking their cue from the specific 'animal moments' that punctuate these interactions, the essays engage with contemporary issues and debates central to human-animal studies: the representation of animals, the practical and ethical issues inseparable from human interactions with other species, and, perhaps most challengingly, the compelling evidence that animals are themselves considering beings. Case studies focus on issues such as animal emotion and human 'sentimentality'; the representation of animals in contemporary art and in recent films such as March of the Penguins, Happy Feet, and Grizzly Man; animals' experiences in catastrophic events such as Hurricane Katrina and the SARS outbreak; and the danger of overvaluing the role humans play in the earth's ecosystems. From Marc Bekoff's moving preface through to the last essay, Considering Animals foregrounds the frequent, sometimes uncanny, exchanges with other species that disturb our self-contained existences and bring into focus our troubled relationships with them. Written in an accessible and jargon-free style, this collection demonstrates that, in the face of species extinction and environmental destruction, the roles and fates of animals are too important to be left to any one academic discipline.

Contemporary Studies in Human–Animal Relations

Considering Animals

Paper Tiger: How Pictures Shaped the Thylacine is an exciting new history of the thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, that draws us closer to the animals who served as models for illustrations. It takes the reader on a journey behind artists' brushstrokes and photographers' lenses into the world of science, printing processes, publishing entrepreneurs, circulating libraries and bounties and reveals how inaccurate published images were ... and how profoundly they affected attitudes toward living thylacines. Written with sensitivity and an eye for detail, Paper Tiger uncovers forgotten drawings and lost photographs from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, telling a story full of mystery and revelations. It demonstrates how pictures and words have a vital influence on a species' survival. As the rate of extinctions escalates, we are also reminded that sympathetic pictures have the power to provide hope for endangered animals. "This book is a remarkable achievement. Freeman tells the story of the thylacine in an original and deeply affecting way. We learn about the animals ... and the ravaging impact that human ideas had upon them. Freeman writes thoughtfully, carefully, and with force, and the book is a very good read" Nigel Rothfels, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee "This book provides a scholarly yet very readable account of a very great loss, the extinction of the Thylacine ... and has what it takes to become a classic text. Freeman's study makes a valuable and timely contribution to the question of how we are going to come to terms with our role in the burgeoning global problem of mass species extinctions" Linda Williams, Associate Professor in Art, Environment and Cultural Studies, RMIT University, Melbourne This book is a compelling story for anyone interested in history and images or concerned about the natural environment, animal extinctions or conservation issues. It also provides a visual resource for art gallery and museum curators, print collectors and zoologists.

How Pictures Shaped the Thylacine

Paper Tiger

This book analyses 80 illustrations of the extinct Tasmanian ‘tiger’, paying attention to the messages they convey and the species’ history. It offers new understandings of human-animal relations and tells a chilling story of how misleading representations can be.

A Visual History of the Thylacine

Taking their cue from the specific 'animal moments' that punctuate our relationships with nonhuman animals, experts from the biological sciences, humanities, and social sciences engage with issues and debates central to human-animal studies. Considering Animals brings together contemporary international case studies from across the globe that examine our interactions with animals. Given current discussions about the status of animals and the widespread extinction of species, this is an important and timely collection.

Contemporary Studies in Human-animal Relations

This volume draws on the expertize of scholars trained in the biological sciences, humanities, and social sciences to investigate the complex and contradictory relationships humans have with non-human animals.

Carol Freeman

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