The Pig Who Sang to the Moon: The Emotional World of Farm

The Pig Who Sang to the Moon: The Emotional World of Farm Animals

Jeffrey Moussaieff Massonâ‚¬s groundbreaking bestseller, When Elephants Weep, was the first book since Darwinâ‚¬s time to explore emotions in the animal kingdom, particularly from animals in the wild. Now, he focuses exclusively on the contained world of the farm animal, revealing startling, irrefutable evidence that barnyard creatures have feelings too, even consciousness.

Weaving history, literature, anecdotes, scientific studies, and Massonâ‚¬s own vivid experiences observing pigs, cows, sheep, goats, and chickens over the course of five years, this important book at last gives voice, meaning, and dignity to these gentle beasts that are bred to be milked, shorn, butchered, and eaten. Can we ever know what makes an animal happy? Many animal behaviorists say no. But Jeffrey Masson has a different view: An animal is happy if it can live according to its own nature. Farm animals suffer greatly in this regard. Chickens, for instance, like to perch in trees at night, to avoid predators and to nestle with friends. The obvious conclusion: They cannot be happy when confined twenty to a cage.

From field and barn, to pen and coop, Masson bears witness to the emotions and intelligence of these remarkable farm animals, each unique with distinct qualities. Curious, intelligent, self-reliantâ‚¬â€œmany will find it hard to believe that these attributes describe a pig. In fact, there is much that humans share with pigs. They dream, know their names, and can see colors. Mother cows mourn the loss of their calves when their babies are taken away to slaughter. Given a choice between food that is nutritious or lacking in minerals, sheep will select the former, balancing their diet and correcting the deficiency. Goats display quite a sense of humor, dignity, and fearlessness (Indian goats have been known to kill leopards). Chickens are naturally sociableâ‚¬â€œthey will gather around a human companion and stand there serenely preening themselves or sit quietly on the ground beside someone they trust.

For far too long farm animals have been denigrated and treated merely as creatures of instinct rather than as sentient beings. Shattering the abhorrent myth of the â‚¬Å“dumb animal without feelings,â‚¬Â Jeffrey Masson has written a revolutionary book that is sure to stir human emotions far and wide.
Country USA
Brand Ballantine Books
Manufacturer Random House Publishing Group
Binding Paperback
ItemPartNumber 9780345452825
Color Multicolor
ReleaseDate 2004-11-23
UnitCount 1
EANs 9780345452825

Country	USA
Brand	Ballantine Books
Manufacturer	Random House Publishing Group
Binding	Paperback
ItemPartNumber	9780345452825
Color	Multicolor
ReleaseDate	2004-11-23
UnitCount	1
EANs	9780345452825

The Pig Who Sang to the Moon: The Emotional World of Farm Animals

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