Rewild at heart

There have been a lot of mixed messages in the media these days about notions of the “wild” and wilderness, but Marc Bekoff, a world-renowned expert on the emotional and moral lives of animals of all kinds, wants us to start considering new approaches to how we view our relationships with all other living things.

“There is a quiet revolution in science towards kinder and more compassionate research, in both the field and the lab, and Marc Bekoff, among a handful of other scientists, is leading the way in this gentler, more considerate approach,” explains Simon Gadbois, from Dalhousie’s Department of Psychology and Neuroscience and an expert on wild canids and dogs.

Dr. Bekoff, a former Guggenheim Fellow and winner of the Exemplar Award for his contributions to the field of animal behaviour, comes to Halifax for two events this week: a public lecture Friday night and an Open Academy panel discussion Saturday evening.

“Compassionate conservation”

Speaking to Dal News in advance of his visit, Dr. Bekoff describes a movement he refers to as “compassionate conservation.”

“It’s just a matter of treating individual animals better…the movement really means appreciating other animals for who they are, appreciating their homes, appreciating that they want to live in peace and safety just like we do,” he says.

The best way to implement this movement, he says, is through education: “public lectures, radio interviews, etc. The most important thing is to spread the word to non-scientists, broad audiences.”

He speaks of “rewilding” our hearts, thinking about who and what other animals are as conscious beings. Often, he says, our understanding of wildlife tends to overemphasize rare but extreme cases, such as the incidents of coyote attacks that have made major headlines in Nova Scotia for several summers.

“When we do hear about it, of course it’s awful, but these animals have thousands of opportunities to bother us and they don’t,” he says. “We need to remember that we’ve moved into their homes. We can’t just move in and decide how we want them to be. We need to respect them for who they are, not what they can do to/for us.”

How animals feel and think

Dr. Bekoff’s research was a natural progression of a passion that arose at an early age. “I was probably three, my parents would say, when I started always asking them what other animals were thinking and feeling.”

This is not to say that Dr. Bekoff’s research is contingent on the anthropomorphizing of other animals; quite the opposite. “It’s about recognizing that they have the same needs and wants that we do, that is to live in peace and safety.”

When he’s explaining his work, he often asks people to think about their pets and how they’d prefer to be treated. “It’s about being consistent [with all animals],” he says. “We’ve done some nasty things to animals, but we have to recognize that we also have the capacity to do positive things as well.”

Dr. Gadbois, who will be introducing Dr. Bekoff at his Dal events, says the talks should encourage attendees to question their own perspectives.

“Even if you do not agree with Bekoff's stance, or if you agree only partially, his views are forcing us to see the other side of the coin, to take the animal's perspective, to at least develop a dialogue, a doubt, a thought on ethical and moral issues when dealing with animals, in the context of research, or in our daily life,” he says.

Public lecture
“Beastly Passions and Compassionate Conservation: Redecorating Nature, Expanding Our Compassion Footprint, and Rewilding Our Hearts”
Dr. Marc Bekoff
Friday, July 12, 7:30 p.m.
Scotiabank Auditorium, Marion McCain Building, 7:30 p.m.
Free admission

Open Academy panel (and audience) discussion
“Human Relationships with Dogs, from the Home Front to the Wild Side”
Dr. Marc Bekoff, with Prof. Matthew Reichertz (NSCAD University) and Dr. Cassandra Hanrahan (Dalhousie School of Social Work)
Saturday, July 13, 7:30-9:30 p.m.
Coburg Coffee House, 6085 Coburg Road
Free admission

Dr. Bekoff’s lecture and panel are presented by Dalhousie’s Animal Studies Group, in collaboration with the Royal Society of Canada, the Evolution Studies Group and the Situating Science Strategic Knowledge Cluster.