Animal Culture Magazine, 03 | 2023

EDUCATION AND ADVOCACY, PROMOTING THE HEALTH AND WELFARE OF ALL SENTIENT BEINGS

P-22 THE CAT who TAUGHT America

Welcome To Animal Culture

The Animal Culture team welcomes you back to our magazine. Animal Culture aspires to educate, to motivate, and to celebrate! We are here to educate our readers about animal issues, to motivate you to act on these issues, and lastly, to celebrate victories for all sentient creatures. This issue has a special focus on P-22, as promised. Our Feature this issue is Miguel Ordeñana, of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, a biologist and P-22 expert. Beth Pratt, of the National Wildlife Federation, is our Special Feature, who discusses the life and death of P-22. Project Coyote talks about wolf management. In the News has three topics: the “P-22 Celebration of Life” event, the new Wildlife Crossing Fund, and IFAW’s animal rescue efforts in Syria and Turkey.

Visual Culture features the work of British artist Jane Lewis, who was part of The Absent Referent show. Lastly, we have our regular, powerful, and tireless contributors – Lisa Karlan and Mark Bekoff without whom …. Continue to hold Lisa Karlan in your thoughts; she is still in recovery from a stroke she suffered in April 2021. We are following her progress and sending healing energy her way.

We are supported by our Patreon page, where you can become subscribers, and gain access to Animal Culture and special content. Please consider being a Patreon subscriber, and share Animal Culture on all your social media, with all your friends and family. Since January 2021, we can offer patrons an annual subscription option, with a 10% savings!

And to all our loyal family of subscribers, thank you for your incredible support. We have made great gains for the animals on many fronts over the years but there is much work to do. Please help us help those who cannot advocate for themselves. Join us to create a powerful voice for animals, a voice needed now more than ever.

For the animals, Mary Holmes, Editor-in-Chief

Inquiries should be sent to mary.animalculture@gmail.com

DEDICATION

This magazine is dedicated to all sentient creatures; the young, the seniors, the wild, the captive, the abused, neglected, lost and the hidden. We, along with many others who are represented in these pages, will never stop working for you. We will never give up.

Copyright © 2023 by Animal Culture Magazine. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. Animal Culture Magazine is a registered trademark

PUBLISHERS

Patricia Denys

Mary Holmes

Karlie Kawa

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

Mary Holmes

CREATIVE DIRECTOR

Patricia Denys

Art DIRECTOR

Karlie Kawa

SENIOR DESIGNER

Jeff Brouwer

DESIGNER

Mark Lukas

Contributing Writer

Camilla Fox

Recipe Author

Lisa Karlan Cover

The Cat Who Taught America

P-22

P-22, May 2020 ©Miguel Ordeñana

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TIPS ANDY

FOR A MORE HUMANE WORLD

Our mascot, Andy, offers good advice TIPS ON BEING A GOOD HUMAN COMPANION

Ihada request from a reader to talk about what makes a responsible human companion? Here are my thoughts from my own life, others’ lives and my research.

1. First of all, spay/neuter, spay/neuter, spay/neuter! Let’s get those high, high, numbers in shelters down, and my fellow dogs and cats off the street!

2. Go for walks and exercise. This is beneficial to my human and to me to stay fit! Play is stimulating, and this is bonding time!

3. Research and take time to explore the type of companion animal you think you could take responsibility for. For example, does your apartment have rules regarding weight or breed? Can you access a place to exercise together? How long are you at work? Do you need a pet sitter?

4. Be sure you have a veterinarian in advance if you do not already. This is a critical relationship in your lives and it takes time to find someone right for you and yours.

5. Keep vaccines and health checks (including dental) up to date. Schedule expeditiously, as you do for yourself.

6. Talk to your vet about parasites in your area and what to do about them.

7. A new family member may have some separation anxiety once you start your regular routine of leaving the home. Prepare for this with short trips that show you will return! Try to make the departure calm and matter of fact so there does not seem to be any unnecessary need for additional stress.

8. Consider an older dog or cat! Most rescue dogs and cats are spayed/neutered, current on inoculations and shelter workers can give you a fair idea of temperament. Older dogs are ideal for a human parent who does not have the time or interest to train a puppy or kitten and the rewards are tremendous as the older guys/girls KNOW they are going to a fur-ever home after often being (sadly) displaced.

9. Be very attentive at dog parks! Be a good parent and an example by using doggie bags and be mindful of who looks aggressive, rough houses or in a modality that might be a concern to your animal companion.

10. Don’t leave your family members alone too often or for too long. This avoids possible destructive behavior due to youth, acting out from fear or separation anxiety, and simply for safety reasons – you would never leave a human child alone.

11. Research safe toys. Beware of squeakers or material that can be swallowed. Switching out toys can be a new and easy way to stimulate!

12. Research the proper diet for your companion animal. Consult with your veterinarian after a health check for what is appropriate. ALWAYS have clean water available.

13. Grooming (including nail clipping] is important. Can you do this yourself or is my family member in need for a professional to help out? Research, and ask friends and family for recommendations.

14. Dental health should also be considered and discussed with your veterinarian.

15. Doggie obedience school should be a fun experience for both of you. It is good idea for safety (stay means stay! and come means come!) and to develop good human and dog citizens. This reinforces one of the joys of the relationship and shows others by good example. It is also a fun way to socialize!

16. When you are out in public with your canine companion, you are demonstrating the positives of the human/animal bond. This is an example for the sake of all other animal companions in a positive way and for those humans who are not as sensitive to animals or are fearful.

17. Keeping your companion on a leash and in their own home space is just being a good neighbor. Not everyone is a dog person, or a cat person, or a human child person.

18. Always supervise your animal companions when they are with children, not only for the human child’s sake, but for the animal companion’s sake.

19. Human companions have the option and right to not allow their companion animals to be touched or petted by strangers. When my human companion is asked, “Is your dog friendly?” My human family member says, “Usually, but I do not know how they feel today, so I prefer you don’t.” Your job is to protect your companion animal.

20. ALWAYS use positive reinforcement!! Rewarding can come from your voice! (Treats are appreciated too!)

21. Take an assessment of your lifestyle before adopting. Are you/ your family ready for the emotional, financial and time commitment that a companion animal requires? Consider energy level, size, grooming needs and personality/temperament.

22. Avoid bringing a new animal companion into the house until AFTER the holidays! Too much confusion, too much noise, too many distractions and too easy to get overlooked or accidentally let out! Yikes!

23. If you insist on going to a breeder for a companion, research reputations and track records with the AKC, and get papers on the companion first by receiving an AKC registration application from the breeder. The breeder fills out the appropriate sections themselves. This allows you to register your companion animal. This is to avoid backyard breeders who breed without experience and often neglect Mom’s prenatal care. You are endorsing more irresponsibility and likely to get a companion with health issues or worse if you answer an ad for puppies.

24. Transition your new family member by preparing in advance. Whatever supplies you need, get them ahead of time; food, collar, leash, bed, bowls, brush AND toys and treats!

25. If you share your home with other family, close friends, arrange who is available for back up if you are late getting home, or ill. Sharing responsibilities is good for everyone!

26. Have an emergency contact list (including the vet) with instructions posted, just in case!

27. Before your new family member arrives, move breakables, anything you would not like chewed and make sure electrical cords are inaccessible. Be mindful of any plants that may be toxic.

28. If your yard is fenced, be sure it is secure. Keep all dogs on a leash when out of your space for their own safety!

29. Everyone needs their own space for rest and privacy. Create an area that is theirs; such as a bed, blankets, or a crate. You can keep the door to the crate open so they know they can retreat there when they want to; it is their safe place.

30. Allow time for the new family member to adjust. This includes getting to know the other family; human and animal. Be patient.

31. Housetraining also requires patience but also it requires consistency.

32. Needs change as we age. Be aware of this with your companion animals as their diet may need adjusting, exercise routines revised and more sleep needed. Consider some holistic treatments such as acupuncture and massage!

33. Be sure all have identification tags and are MICROCHIPPED.

34. Be mindful of travel safety. Using a crate prevents escape if the vehicle’s door is opened unexpectedly at a stop. Watch out for the hanging out the windows as this can cause eye injuries or even potentially falling out! NEVER allow your companion family member to travel in the back of an open truck unsecured.

35. If you plan a trip together, be sure it is animal-friendly and that there are things you can do together.

36. Prepare for a possible disaster by having an emergency kit of water, food, contact numbers and first aid. Be sure any shelter you would go to allows animal family members.

37. When the time comes to say goodbye due to illness or age or if their quality of life is severely compromised, meet with your trusted veterinarian about helping them to the other side in a quiet and humane way; hopefully with those he/she loves and trusts. They seem to be ready way before we are with their transition. Remember, there is no way an animal companion would want you to be sad and miserable, so think of them in these very difficult times.

38. First and foremost, love, love, love, love.

Here are some very strong reasons to adopt and spay/neuter from the ASPCA:

• Approximately 6.3 million companion animals enter U.S. animal shelters nationwide every year. Of those, approximately 3.1 million are dogs and 3.2 million are cats. We estimate that the number of dogs and cats entering U.S. shelters annually has declined from approximately 7.2 million in 2011. The biggest decline was in dogs (from 3.9 million to 3.1 million).

• Each year, approximately 920,000 shelter animals are euthanized (390,000 dogs and 530,000 cats). The number of dogs and cats euthanized in U.S. shelters annually has declined from approximately 2.6 million in 2011.  This decline can be partially explained by an increase in the percentage of animals adopted and an increase in the number of stray animals successfully returned to their owners.

• Approximately 4.1 million shelter animals are adopted each year (2 million dogs and 2.1 million cats).

• About 810,000 animals who enter shelters as strays are returned to their owners. Of those, 710,000 are dogs and 100,000 are cats.

Tata the Tataviam Towhee: A Tribal Story

is warned not to fly above the treetops, as it will put him at risk. Towhees traditionally fly low to the ground, from one chaparral bush to the next, feeding on seeds and insects. But, like all youngsters all over the world, he is convinced his parents are exaggerating the dire consequences that might befall him – “giant killer birds – hawks, falcons, and eagles that will eat you! They are fast, strong, and have sharp, sharp talons!!!” One day Tata flew to the top of a giant oak tree, where he encountered his friend Juan, the sparrow. Telling his friend about his parents’ warning, he remarked he had not encountered any killer birds. Just at that moment Juan spots a red-tailed hawk, seemingly diving straight towards them. But the hawk isn’t after them; he grabs a rattlesnake in his large talons and flies away with it. Now Tata understands his parents’ concern for his safety. And so should the children reading this tale.

Alan Salazar (Puchuk Ya’ia’c), is a tribal elder in both the Fernandeño Tataviam and Ventureño Chumash tribes. He is a traditional storyteller, native educator, and a native monitor/ consultant who resides in Southern California. He participated in the P-22 Celebration of Life, held at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles on February 4th. by delivering the blessing for P-22. Salazar is the author of Tata the Tataviam Towhee: A Tribal Story, his first book, and two others. All are children’s books, specifically written to share, and preserve the heritage of the Tataviam tribe in particular, but also to encourage indigenous youngsters to respect their distinctive heritage.

Tata is a somewhat diminutive paperback, with exquisite illustrations by Mona Lewis. It tells the story of young Tata, the towhee, and the cautionary tale he hears from his parents. He

The story is brief, to be sure, but the book has some special features. There’s a short section on the history of the Tataviam tribe. In addition, the book contains suggested activities for the readers: a game, with complete instructions; an explanation of how the illustrations were created; instructions on how to make one’s own pigments, instructions on how to make charcoal, a step-by-step on how to draw a towhee, and several pages that can be colored, with traditional crayons, or otherwise. Although Tata was created for a rather circumscribed audience, it deserves to be seen by the many, not the few. Others can learn to appreciate the culture of these indigenous peoples, who maintain a kinship with, and respect for, other species, that we would do well to emulate.

To purchase this, or Salazar’s other books, click HERE

Living with

P-22 for 10 Years

The

Work of Miguel Ordeñana

ALL PHOTOS ©MIGUEL ORDEÑANA EXCEPT WHERE NOTED

The first person to realize that a mountain lion lived in Griffith Park was Miguel Ordeñana IV, the Community Science Senior Manager and Wildlife Biologist at Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. He states on his LinkedIn page, “At NHM, my role as a biologist involves studying local urban wildlife species of Los Angeles and acting as a liaison between Research & Collection researchers and the general public. My role as a community science manager involves promoting and creating community science projects, recruitment of community scientists, and community science training. In addition to my work at NHM, I use bat detectors to study urban bat species of Los Angeles and camera traps to study urban carnivores of Griffith Park, where I grew up.” He discovered P-22 (as he was eventually labeled, “Puma-22”) due to one of his wildlife observation cameras. He was so excited the see P-22 stroll past his camera, he frantically had to search for his phone and ran barefooted two blocks after realizing it was in his car! Many of the photos and videos we have seen of P-22 since are courtesy of Ordeñana.

We told him we had already interviewed Beth Pratt of NWF. He responded that he was sure that some of what they both said would overlap, but, “as one of those people that have been

part of his story since the beginning it’s been a really great opportunity and an honor to be able to follow his story, and also be the person to discover the first photo of him back in 2012. He’s pleased that in sharing P-22’s story in ways that leave an impression on people with diverse backgrounds, others have gone on to do the same through hip hop music, documentaries, articles, children’s books, puppets, all types of ways. Ordeñana views the P-22 story as one of survival and overcoming the odds. It also has functioned to spotlight, “the barriers that a lot of mountain lions and urban wildlife have in their way when they’re trying to survive in cities.” He added, “I think urban wildlife research conservation is kind of a new field, and one that really didn’t get the love that it deserved. P-22 has really brought it to the attention of everybody and convinced people that didn’t pay too much attention to urban wildlife and conservation issues.”

It’s become a priority for many people, including policymakers, “who are the ones who make decisions on how neighborhoods are zoned, how people are able to develop, the type of toxins we’re able to put out in the ecosystem, and to understand that cities are ecosystems as well. People that live in cities are not off the hook when it comes to being a good neighbor to wildlife. I think that’s the

legacy that I’m most proud of that I’ve been a part of, and of course him being ambassador for the Wildlife Crossing fundraising campaign, breaking ground right before he passed away.” He commented on P-22 Day. “It’s really great to see that people are able to celebrate him throughout this campaign on P-22 Day. People won’t forget about him and this is one of those animals that will have an impact that is going to last longer than some of the most famous people, which is pretty incredible to think about.” After P-22 passed, Ordeñana said that many reporters who interviewed him, who had been following the mountain lion’s story for some time, commented that they teared up when they heard he had passed. One even commented, “It’s been an honor to follow this story and cover his story. I’ve interviewed presidents and celebrities and this is definitely a step above all of that.” Ordeñana reiterated what a huge impact P-22 and his story had made on so many individuals, “I hope people continue to honor his legacy by adjusting the way they live, and making the cities and neighborhoods they live in more accommodating to wildlife in honor of P-22, and other wildlife that have passed so tragically because of us.”

A wildlife biologist by trade, he worked closely with the Park Service, and commented on how P-22’s saga had

increased our knowledge about mountain lions surviving in urban settings. “What I would say, and I think the Park Service would agree with me, and they’re the ones who have been tracking him with the collar. They would say that he’s really proved to people how adaptable mountain lions can be, if we give them enough space and resources for survival. Mountain lions, especially males, are very solitary territorial individuals and usually need about 200 square miles of space to themselves. He ended up in a park or a territory that’s eight square miles, nine if you stretch it out to neighboring properties like the cemetery and the Warner Brothers studios that are right against the Park. And that’s remarkable.

“I think that, from a scientific level, biologists who followed mountain lion ecology and behavior their whole lives would have never expected for this to be a possibility. They’re known as the most urban-sensitive animals around urban areas. This animal proved all that wrong and threw that all out the window. Not only that that he survived in this park, but it’s not a pristine park. I love Griffith Park. But it is definitely - a lot of it is disturbed. It’s developed in some way or another. It has the Greek Theatre, it has public city buildings, it has neighborhoods going into it and around, it has a Zoo, the Observatory, and multiple 18-hole golf

courses. Within that 8 to 9 square miles, some of that is already carved-up and disturbed. There are also roads that go through that park, winding roads, blind corners, and it says 25 miles an hour on the speed limit, but people go 60 miles an hour on those roads.

“For him to survive all that and the fact that people put rat poison out in their backyards, and the City puts rat poison out. It’s just so impressive that he’s been able to survive all that and coexist with thousands of people every single day – tourists, local people, homeless individuals that live in the park. He’s shown that they just want to be away from us as much as they can. Yes, so he will go into neighborhoods from time to time. But if you look at his data points, according to the Park Service, he uses as much of that wilderness as he can, even when he’s going through really disturbed areas, he’ll use that sliver of corridor of open woods habitat that has cover for him to stay out of sight, for him to stay safe. I think that really is a testament of how much opportunity there is for us to co-exist with them if we do the right thing, if we give them their space, if they have enough food to survive, and aren’t pushed to desperation.”

His demise was inevitable, given the combination of injuries and old age with its own contributions to his

deteriorating health. Yet, he lived to be 12 years old, which is remarkable for his kind. Most male mountain lions live to be around 10; usually by that age another younger male would have come into his territory and killed him. “He basically did what he could to last as long as he could, and unfortunately didn’t make it. There were many times where he’s been there and he’s been looking at me. I love to fantasize that he knew who I was, or he eventually was able to recognize me, but who knows? I doubt that. But also there’s other footage of him where he’s walking in front of the camera, hanging out in front of one of my cameras, and less than 30 seconds later a hiker walks in front of that camera and he’s gone. He was making active choices to avoid people. He could have interacted with people a many times. But he only did that when he felt desperate enough.

“Contrary to our earlier beliefs, a mountain lion can survive in an urban environment. They can survive a long time, even really in urban areas and the connectivity is key. Griffith Park is isolated, but there’s at least enough connectivity. The study I was involved in that, which led to the discovery and documents that there are overpasses, there are tunnels that are allowing deer to come in and out of the park, and bobcats and coyotes. My cameras also showed that deer are reproducing in the park so it’s healthy enough for apparently a mountain lion to live at least a good amount of time. That’s great to see.”

At the time of P-22’s death, some controversy arose about what to do with P-22’s remains. Specifically, the indigenous peoples of the region wanted him to be buried in Griffith

Park. Ordeñana explained, “How it started was the fact that, in my opinion, the museum didn’t put enough outreach out there which is on me partly, about the fact we applied for a permit, got a permit a year ago, to collect P-22’s remains. The intention was to preserve his scientific legacy, which means that his tissue samples, fur, even parasites that we find on him could inform future research, our knowledge about the evolution of mountain lions, our knowledge of the conservation threats that are facing mountain lions, not only right now, but also in the future when the technology and the tools are available, that haven’t even been invented yet.” He said in many cases, even when animals such as P-22 are part of studies, when they die they are given a necropsy, and then their remains are discarded. “I didn’t want that to be lost, especially for P-22, who meant so much to me, and so many other people, and my intention was to get him to the Museum and then have those conversations about what to do next – do we want to put any aspect of his body on display? What aspects of his body do we want to preserve for future research? And those are all questions we were hoping to answer as soon, once he got into the museum, and that included engaging tribal communities, in addition to other communities that care about P -22 and his legacy.” Many of those communities were indeed surprised his remains were going to the Natural History Museum. For more on this, see the December 23, 2022 Los Angeles Times article Dispute arises over P-22’s remains as Indigenous people fight for Griffith Park burial.

I hope people continue to HONOR

HIS LEGACY

by adjusting the way they live, and making the cities and neighborhoods they live in more accommodating to wildlife in honor of P-22, and other wildlife that have passed so tragically because of us.

Ordeñana stated many people misunderstand what functions museums serve, and they assume that museums are “actively going out and killing animals for the purposes of profit, and none of that is used for research and conservation.” Museums do indeed display some animals in taxidermy halls. Those animals are a small part of any museum’s collection. In point of fact, “the majority of our 35 million specimens in our collection are behind the scenes, being preserved for the purposes of future research and conservation; that is our goal. The first priority is to preserve that legacy in our collections and if the community wants it, we use some of that for education, as long as we are doing it in a respectful way, and the communities that we need to talk to, especially historically excluded communities, are included in those conversations.” He admits, in the case of P-22, those conversations should have occurred much sooner.

In addition, he explained, “State agencies like the California Department of Fish and Wildlife need to have those conversations with tribal communities as well before they say to the Museum, you can have P-22 when he dies. They need to ask what the tribes think about that; what kind of adjustments do we need to make to this permit? I think those conversations didn’t occur, and there’s just a long history of those conversations not happening early enough. The Museum itself should have had those conversations earlier in the process. I think that’s something that we’re going to look into. We’re scheduling conversations right now with local tribes to see what to do next.” He added, “P-22 is now in our possession in a storage area in our museum. I’m still open for tribal members to come view and do blessings that they want to, but ultimately, it’s there basically in an interim kind of situation, and then we’re going to have conversations with local tribes to figure out what to do next, and what is a respectful way to honor his cultural legacy for indigenous tribes and others, but also how can we still come to compromise where some of that hopefully is preserved

so that is used for future conservation, especially for a population that is so imperiled and at risk of extinction.”

Ordeñana, like many, was saddened by P-22’s death, “I mean that was really sad. I’ve been mentally trying to prepare myself for his death for a while because I’ve already known the lifespan or typical lifespan of mountain lions. He looked like his health was in decline for a while now, but you never are fully prepared for that moment. The fact is that it was announced that he was euthanized the morning of his euthanasia and there was no kind of warning that it was coming. That was really striking, and for me it felt abrupt; a flood of emotions went through my brain. It was a lot of memories I had going in the park seeing his tracks, taking my children into the park to look for his tracks and scat, looking at photos from my cameras and bringing family who had never gone into hikes in those parts of the park before P-22, and also leading hikes for kids that are historically underserved and don’t have access to parks, going through the park and talking about P-22 and them getting excited, all these floods of memories kind of kept running through my head all at once and it was definitely overwhelming and got me emotional for sure.”

He had hopes that his 10-year relationship with this magnificent animal would end in a more satisfactory manner, with P-22 able to live out his final days in peace in a sanctuary. He remarked on the irony that P-22 was hit by a car after successfully dodging traffic on both the 101 and 405 freeways to make his way into Griffith Park. “I think it’s just another one of those sad examples of us failing him as a society and failing other wildlife. The fact that he ended up in Griffith Park, even though I loved having him there; he should never have been there. He should have been able to cross north from where he was born into the Simi Hills and Santa Susanas and have a more successful life, have kittens, find a mate and find a large territory of his own without rat poison out there, and all those other barriers you have to deal with.” We build freeways for human needs, “at the expense of countless animals dying on those roads, being isolated and inbreeding with each other and killing each other over space all because we don’t want to wait, and we want to get somewhere faster. I don’t know, it’s just that’s just hard to think about and hard for me to accept. I hope the next generation does better.”

Hopefully, the fascination with P-22 has made us realize what a self-centered species we are. It’s not just about us; we have to think about other beings and how they’re affected by what we’re doing. We’ve shown we’re capable of thinking beyond ourselves, thus the building of the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, and many more to come.

For more information on the work of Miguel Ordeñana and the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, go to: nhm.org

Lisa Karlan’s Plant Based Recipes

Lisa Karlan is Producer/Host of “Hey Doc! What’s New in Plant-Based Medicine” appearing on JaneUnchained News Network most Fridays at 10 am PST/ 1 pm EST at: facebook.com/janevelezmitchell, facebook.com/LKarlan YouTube.com/c/janeunchainednews and twitter.com/LKarlan.  She is also a Certified Food for Life Instructor with Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and the recipe author for Animal Culture Magazine.

Creamy Wild Mushroom Soup

I’ve always loved the taste of sautéed mushrooms, especially when there is more than one variety. I picked crimini and shiitake mushrooms for this dish because, when combined, they synergistically take the mushroom flavor to another level.

INGREDIENTS

1 small onion (or 1/2 large onion), diced 1/4 cup water (for water sauté)

1 1/2 cup fresh crimini or baby portobello mushrooms, sliced

1 quart Imagine Portobello Mushroom Creamy Soup

1 1/2 cup fresh shiitake mushrooms, sliced

1/2 small tomato, diced

1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat an empty 4 quart sauce pan on medium high heat, until a few drops of water “sizzle” when dropped into the pan.

2. Add diced onions and water sauté, by adding a tablespoon of water at a time, when the surface of the onions touching the pan

begins to brown. Then using a silicone spatula, scrape the fond, (the brown residue that forms) with a tablespoon or more of water to get the fond to dissolve. Continue this process until the onions are browned, by adding as little water as necessary, allowing the onions to caramelize. This takes approximately 10 minutes.

3. Add the mushrooms with a few tablespoons of water and continue sautéing on medium heat and cover the pan. The mushrooms will begin releasing their liquid, but check every couple of minutes to see that there is enough liquid. If it’s dry, then add a tablespoon of water or little more to assure the pan is not dry.

4. Cook the onion/mushroom sauté in covered pan, until the mushrooms have shrunk and are tender, about 5 - 8 minutes on medium heat.

5. Add Imagine Portobello Mushroom Creamy Soup to the onion/ mushroom sauté and heat until just before boiling.

6. Serve in soup bowls and garnish with diced tomato and chopped parsley.

7. Enjoy!

Camilla Fox and the Project Coyote Team

Camilla H. Fox is the founder and executive director of Project Coyote – a national non-profit organization based in Mill Valley, California that promotes compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife through education, science, and advocacy. With 25+ years of experience working on behalf of wildlife and wildlands and a Master’s degree in wildlife ecology, policy, and conservation, Camilla’s work has been featured in several national and international media outlets. Their representatives, advisory board members and supporters include scientists, conservationists, educators, ranchers and citizen leaders who work together to change laws and policies to protect native carnivores from abuse and mismanagement, advocating coexistence instead of killing. They seek to change negative attitudes toward coyotes, wolves and other misunderstood predators by replacing ignorance and fear with understanding, respect and appreciation.

Northern Rockies Wolves Need Federal Protections because State Governance is Broken

If you follow wildlife news, you may have heard about the recent lawsuit from Project Coyote and our co-plaintiff WildEarth Guardians challenging Montana’s aggressive wolf killing and failure to update its wolf management plan. You might also be aware of an impending decision from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service regarding restoration of Endangered Species Act (ESA) protections for gray wolves in the Northern Rockies. If you’re tracking wolf news, you might wonder why they continually make the news. Delisting has occurred or been proposed for wolves, both nationally and regionally, about 10 times since 2000. Is this just another culture war?

Wolf management decisions are representative of a broader struggle within a society experiencing shifting values. The old-school thinks killing wolves is necessary and seems eager to take wolf populations to the lowest limit. Case in point: Montana aims to so drastically reduce wolf populations using the most inhumane methods, such as snares, that they will rabidly defend inaccurate population estimates and put your companion animals, imperiled species and democracy at risk.

New-school thinking wants wolves protected for intrinsic and ecosystem values beyond use as trophies or to “own the libs.” In their eyes, wolves are ecosystem guardians who contribute to the health and function of nature’s systems and cycles when they are allowed to thrive at ecologically effective densities, without exploitation from humans and with autonomy as conscious beings who deserve moral consideration and have a right to exist.

As a scientist who has studied both human and non-humans, I am exasperated at the continued fighting over ESA protections for wolves. But I have no doubt that preserving lives and ecosystem health will save us as much as it will save wolves.

Think of wolves as the antidote to negative human influences. They defy our attempted cleansing of the environment, which essentially waters down nature’s diversity to monocultures of corn and deer. They counter our influence with a wilder management that changes prey behavior without major reductions in populations. Prey in wolf country move across the landscape differently, which reduces overbrowsing of streamside vegetation and time spent near roads. This translates to better habitats for diverse species and fewer deer-vehicle collisions. While wolves counter our homogenization, they cannot completely avoid us, and too many humans still hate wolves. Without ESA protections, wolves are subject to the literal slings and arrows–as well as legions of bullets, traps, snares, helicopters, poisons, hounds and snowmobiles–of their outrageously poor fortune to share space with humans driven by hatred that is sanctioned and even promoted by current state policies across the country. States have a long, sordid history of catering to carnivore killers, presenting hunting as the only legitimate form of management. As a PhD in large carnivore conservation, I can assure you it is not. Hunting carnivores only makes prey management more difficult and is a base form of entertainment for the kinds of humans who think it’s morally justifiable to gas pups in their dens, kill whole families of wolves and post photos on Facebook, run coyotes over with snowmobiles

(colloquially called ‘whacking’) and set snares and leghold traps to do their dirty work (without regard to who ends up in those traps). Although Democrats have not championed wildlife, the policymakers setting and defending policies like whacking coyotes and hunting imperiled grizzly bears are predominantly conservative

Perhaps wolves are hated precisely because they counter homogenization–and those intolerant folks don’t stop at wolves.

Consider Wisconsin, where the seven-member Natural Resources Board includes five white men, four of whom voted for a wolf hunting season with a quota that ignored federally obligated tribal consultation and their own agency scientists’ recommendations. The Ojibwe tribes of the Great Lakes consider wolves sacred family members. Thus, they do not hunt the approximate 50% of the wolf quota that is allocated to them by treaty rights and instead they “claim” those wolves to protect them. The response? The anti-wolf contingent on the Board openly discussed in a public meeting how to circumvent the tribes’ treaty rights (starting at 4:36).

Consider the Global Indigenous Council’s Wolf Treaty that cannot get Interior Secretary Haaland’s time of day. At the same time, a major national hunter group who works closely to push state agency hunting agendas, also hired Ted Nugent as their spokesperson, the “Great White” denier of systemic racism. Consider the Colorado Parks and Wildlife director retiring after making comments about a Black employee being at “the back of the bus” I share these brief examples to illustrate intersections among different forms of prejudice towards both wolves and humans that are insidiously baked into our current decision-making processes. Of course, I am not implying that white men can’t make good

decisions about wildlife or that being native or a woman results in better conservation outcomes (look no further than Martha Williams and Deb Haaland for underwhelming leaders in the wildlife arena). What I am saying is that our past and present provide many examples of the powerful elite making unjust policies for vulnerable classes of humans and non-humans alike and that co-occurrence is not an accident.

Democratizing wildlife governance is thus one of many steps needed to reign in the tyrannical elite and reform this nation’s broken systems. With the U.S. democracy falling in global ranking to now being considered a flawed or deficient democracy, we have our work cut out for us. Even in a highly regarded system, democracy is still messy but it allows for ethical dialogue and scientific evidence. It hears all voices, even those who speak on behalf of the voiceless.

The call to relist wolves comes from a place of evidence, care, compassion, respect for others (as individuals and communities of which we are all members) and solidarity with disenfranchised communities who care about wildlife and whose voices are ignored by state agencies. Relisting all wolves is a step toward giving voice to many voiceless interests that seek to protect and promote life, not sell it to the highest bidder.

P-22’S

CHAMPION CARRIES THE TORCH AND RUNS WITH IT

, a mountain lion who was the unlikely denizen of Griffith Park in Los Angeles for a decade, was unfortunately euthanized on December 17, 2022. Known to many as “the Brad Pitt of mountain lions,” the decision to euthanize him was made for humane reasons, as he was suffering not only from injuries from being hit by an automobile, but also several other long-term health issues. Beth Pratt, Regional Executive Director of the California Regional Center of the National Wildlife Federation, and easily P-22’s biggest ally, spoke to us recently about his life, and death.

Many of our readers may know this story, but for those who don’t, Pratt narrates, “P-22 came on all of our radars, in 2012 when that first LA Times story appeared, written by Martha Groves. At the time, I don’t think it was huge, huge news. It definitely was surprising, and made an impact in LA but it hadn’t quite hit the world stage yet. I think the headline

in the LA Times. As Pratt puts it, prior to that, the mountain lion was more of a local celebrity. “That’s the photo that really introduced him to the world and made him an international celebrity. I think what he’s represented with his 10 years in Griffith Park was the hope of how wildlife can live in urban settings, but also the tragedy that, unlike most of his mountain lion relatives who made that journey, he wasn’t hit by a car and killed.” Pratt feels the trauma of that journey is the reason he chose to stay in Griffith Park. Instead of the typical male mountain lion range of 100-150 square miles, P-22 was in an 8-9 square mile park. “I think he made a decision when he got there, which is, ‘Boy, I’m not braving those freeways again. There’s plenty of food here,’ and that’s really what territory sizes are dependent on is prey availability. There’s all this deer available in Griffith Park because people have gardens, and Forest Lawn Cemetery is nearby. There’s probably more

was even ‘Mountain Lion Makes a home in Griffith Park.’ He wasn’t even named in the headline. It was a game changer though, and to have this cat show up in such an urbanized setting . . . Especially since we know the path he had to take.” P-22 traveled from the central Santa Monica Mountains, crossing both the 101 and 405 freeways to make his way to Griffith Park. From DNA testing, it was later determined his father was P-1, also from the central Santa Monica Mountains. Most Angelenos were surprised that Los Angeles had not banished nature enough to keep a mountain lion from appearing in the Park.

In 2013, Steve Winter, a National Geographic photographer, got a night shot, via remote camera, of P-22 with the Hollywood sign in the background. This was also published

deer there than naturally would be, so he had at least a good deer supply so that’s why he stayed.” The fact that he chose to remain in such a small space underscored the limitations of unconnected space. “He was trapped on this island, out of options, and representing what his whole population was going through in the LA area which is these freeways were really limiting their ability to have a future.”

There was no option to move him elsewhere. Moving him into another space would have either resulted in the death of him, or a rival mountain lion, or he would have attempted to go back to Griffith Park. The likelihood of him surviving additional freeway crossings would have been slim. Pratt said his best shot at survival was to remain in the Park.

She harkened back to the issue of unconnected space. “I

think that’s why people really sympathized with him. He was the extreme example of what these freeways have done to the Santa Monica Mountains’ lion population. These mountain lions are inbreeding themselves out of existence because the freeways are blocking new genetic or mountain lions outside of their families. He was the extreme example that it wasn’t just that he was inbreeding, he didn’t even have an option to mate, because of limitations. I think he really showed, what these freeways do right up to the end.”

For the most part, he stayed in the Park and avoided encounters with human beings. Toward the end of his life, his behavior changed and he was spending more time in the human environment, “Right there at the end, his behavior changed radically. He was hanging out down at Trader Joe’s in Los Feliz and I would drive around there thinking, ‘Oh my god, I can’t believe he’s down here, this is about as urban as it is. I think for me it again showed the limitations of unconnected space, we now know he was severely ill even before the car strike. I think those of us who have cats know sometimes they try to go somewhere when it’s time and again, this is based on those signs, I think that might have been part of it. I think in the neighborhood especially there is the potential

for much easier, smaller prey and it doesn’t necessarily even have to be pets. He actually took a raccoon down in full view of somebody’s backyard. Our backyards in these urban areas are where smaller animals hang out because of our gardens and trash - raccoons, foxes. I also think part of him hanging out in these neighborhoods was he knew the smaller prey was there, whether it be pets or raccoons or skunks or whatever, but again it points to the limitations of unconnected space where he was out of options in his old age, and indeed even that he got to that old was a result of unconnected space. You just don’t see male mountain lions get that old usually. At this point in his life he probably would have been dethroned by a younger male.”

Pratt is convinced that P-22 changed the game. “It’s not just an LA story; it’s not just a California story. He made us really reconsider how we live with wildlife and what’s possible, and not only that but what we need to do. We wouldn’t have a wildlife crossing without him. And it’s not just this one – he’s inspiring more. There’s a tragic tale to him, but there’s also this wonderfully hopeful tale with how people connected with him so profoundly, both in LA and around the world.”

At the time the Martha Groves story ran, Pratt had just

started working for the National Wildlife Federation. She had much prior experience working with the Park Service. She contacted Jeff Sikich of the Park Service, visited Los Angeles, and Sikich gave her a tour of Griffith Park, and the Santa Monica Mountains. He also told her the plight these mountain lions were facing. When she asked what she and NWF could do to help, he responded, “’Well, there’s this little wildlife crossing I’ve been trying to get built. . .’ I responded, ‘Sure how hard can it be?’ I didn’t know it would be the next 10 years of my life.”

Asked how the loss of P-22 had affected her personally, she said, “It’s been devastating, He was just such a remarkable animal that I loved, and in some respects it was a serious relationship for over 10 years even though I only met him once

right there at the end to say goodbye. I think we all knew this day was coming. We had talked about it; we knew he wasn’t going to live forever.” What made it difficult was she had to put her grief aside so she could do her job, speaking about him publicly and giving interviews. Everything happened very quickly at the end. He was captured, examined, and went through a lot of testing. In the beginning, the plan was to place him in a sanctuary to live out his days. When all the results of the tests came in, it was determined that, in addition to the injuries from the car, he had serious heart and kidney issues that would have required constant medical interventions. Those interventions would have been viable with a domesticated animal, but not with a wild one, as they

HE MADE US REALLY RECONSIDER HOW WE LIVE WITH WILDLIFE AND WHAT’S POSSIBLE, WE WOULDN’T HAVE A WILDLIFE CROSSING WITHOUT HIM.

— BETH PRATT

AND NOT ONLY THAT BUT WHAT WE NEED TO DO.

“ “

would all have to be performed with anesthesia. This was hardly a doable solution for a 12-year-old wild animal. Pratt commented, “At that point no sanctuaries would take him because he needed not a sanctuary, but a managed care existence, where he would have to be treated and it just wasn’t realistic or even ethical to cause him suffering. That was where the decision came from.”

She concluded with some words to encourage us all, “What I’m really trying to focus on is, he’s left such a legacy that is only going to benefit conservation and wildlife. Boy, that’s a lot for that mountain lion, and he earned wherever he’s running right now. He’s somewhere where there’s lots of deer and no roads. That to me is a really hopeful thing that there

may never be another mountain lion that makes it to Griffith Park, or that strolls down Sunset Boulevard, but he showed us that they could, and he also opened everybody’s eyes to what a lack of connectivity has done. You can’t close those eyes again, and hence we’re getting wildlife crossings built. That’s his gift to us I think, to show us what’s possible.” And with that, Beth Pratt picks up the torch.

To learn more about the National Wildlife Federation, go to: nwf.org

For information on the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, go to: savelacougars.org

IN THE NEWS

On Saturday, February 4th, the Greek Theatre at Griffith Park, Los Angeles, hosted an event called, “P-22 Celebration of Life,” to commemorate the passing of P-22, one of Griffith Park’s most famous and beloved residents. The Greek Theatre seats 5,900-6,000 guests. Tickets to the event were free and available online through Ticketmaster. Within two hours of the box office opening, tickets were “sold out.” Arguably, the “P-22 Celebration of Life” is the largest gathering to date to honor a single animal. One of P-22’s legacies is the Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, being built across the Ventura Freeway (US101) at Liberty Canyon. It is scheduled to be completed by 2025. Hopefully, it will be followed by many more.

At the “P-22 Celebration of Life” event, it was announced to attendees that a new Wildlife Crossing Fund was being launched, “a campaign that aims to accelerate the building of wildlife crossings across California, the United States, and the world and reconnect lands for our collective future.” The goal is to raise half a billion dollars from private philanthropy. Founding partners include the Annenberg Foundation, the National Wildlife Federation, the California Natural Resources Agency, Dayna Bochco, and ARC (Animal Road Crossings.) These private funds will leverage with public dollars to advance the building of needed wildlife crossings.

The State of California is committed to doing its part in this endeavor. California Natural Resources Agency Secretary Wade Crowfoot stated, ““P-22 inspired and mobilized people around the world to protect nature and wild animals. Now, his legacy will drive a growing movement to connect these animals across our roads and communities. In California, we’re all in on the inspirational partnership between philanthropy and government that the Wallis Annenberg Foundation has catalyzed. California is committing more than $100 million to match philanthropic investment in the newly announced Crossing Fund. Working all together, we will show the world how people and nature can thrive together.”

Collin O’Mara, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation remarked, “The Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing is a world-class example of what’s possible when philanthropic organizations, conservation leaders, and the public sector work together for solutions to the wildlife crisis. This new fund will ensure that the L.A. crossing is not a one-off project, but rather a success that we replicate again and again to protect people and wildlife alike, reconnect fragmented ecosystems, and ensure wildlife like P-22 can safely traverse our built landscapes. We are proud to join with the Annenberg Foundation and the State of California to launch this important fund that will

catalyze solutions across the continent to ensure people and wildlife thrive together.”

“Studies have shown that roadway infrastructure fractures and disrupts ecosystems, wreaking havoc on wildlife and creating hazards for drivers. The Wildlife Crossing Fund will allow for the creation of infrastructure and landscape connectivity projects across California, the United States and beyond for the benefit of wildlife and biodiversity, the safety and welfare of communities – all while addressing climate change through adaptation and resilience,” according to a recent press release from the National Wildlife Federation.

The press release continued, “Wildlife crossings also come with vast economic benefits. As the organization ARC: Animal Road Crossings published in a recent report, ‘every year in the United States, there are 1-2 million wildlife-vehicle collisions that cause 200 human fatalities, 26,000 injuries, and cost $9.7 billion. The costs of collisions to society often outweigh the costs of building wildlife crossing structures. Placing structures along road segments with as few as 5.1 deer collisions per mile per year creates net benefits.’ As green infrastructure projects, wildlife crossings also offer economic stimulus that provides jobs and other benefits to the economy. Caltrans estimates that in transportation, for every $1 billion spent, 13,000 jobs are created, and a Florida DOT study found that the state’s transportation projects were estimated to yield an average $4 of benefits for every $1 invested.

“’To honor P-22’s legacy, to reconnect people and nature, we need to hold fast to what he taught us. As much as we need science, innovation, and community engagement, the most important thing we can do is to lead with landscape. A protected landscape is a connected landscape, and good design

is done in the spirit of coexistence and kinship for the benefit of wildlife and people,’ said Nina-Marie Lister, ARC Solutions Partner, Professor of Urban Planning and Director of the Ecological Design Lab at Toronto Metropolitan University, and Visiting Professor of Landscape Architecture, Harvard University, Graduate School of Design. ‘ARC is excited to work with the State of California because it has shown it can lead the way. We are ready to go forward and go global, so we can create a system of connected and protected landscapes, together.’”

GLOBAL NEWS

At the time of writing, upwards of 41,000 people have been killed as a result of the magnitude 7.8 earthquake which struck Syria and Turkey on February 6th. In addition to the loss of human lives, and property damage estimated at $50-85 billion, animals in the affected region have suffered greatly. Fortunately, the International Fund for Animal Welfare has once again come to the aid of animals hit by natural disaster. To quote in part from IFAW’s press release, “Immediately after the earthquake hit, IFAW reached out to Haytap, an animal rescue organization in Turkey, and House of Cats Ernesto in Syria to ensure all staff and sanctuary animals were safe and to offer emergency support.

“IFAW has committed $50,000 to launch its relief work in the two countries. Initial emergency grant funds will be used by the organizations to assess the hardest-hit communities, rescue animals in crisis and provide aid to animals in need.”

To make a contribution to IFAW’s work in this region, go to: DONATE

JANE LEWIS SPEAKS LOUDLY

Do You Hear Her?

British artist Jane Lewis, who was recently in the Absent Referent show at TAG Gallery in Los Angeles, recently spoke to us about her art. She has been an artist for some four and a half decades now, and has always had a feminist perspective. She came to animal activism and veganism relatively late in her career; “I was one of those people who became vegan overnight because the film, Earthlings had such an impact. In fact, I had to watch it in two parts, over two evenings, because I was so distraught that I cried all the way through. I’d lived my entire life without knowledge, or perhaps in denial, of the atrocities routinely inflicted on other living beings by humans. I began watching the documentary on YouTube in all innocence, having vaguely heard that it was a documentary about animals, but unaware of its real content.”

Interestingly, she did some earlier work which, in retrospect, hinted at her future in animal activist art-making. “I worked a lot in etching, and liked the acid-bitten look of the medium. A couple of years ago, sorting through some of the etchings, I found two images that seem to presage my recent work: one of a pig’s head with sausages dangling from its mouth and another of a cat’s head with electrodes attached. They were meant to be about the grotesquery of creatures pushed to extremes, even though I had no notion of animal rights at the time. Sometimes the true relevance of one’s work comes of age many years later.”

As her career progressed, she became more influenced by –isms other than just feminism. “The most important ism I had to understand and fully absorb on becoming vegan was speciesism. I had to readjust my view of humanity’s supposed precedence. The notion of the inferiority of other animals, indeed of all life on earth, is one that is taken for granted by

the majority. I read Eternal Treblinka by Charles Patterson in which the writer says: ‘Once animal exploitation was institutionalized and accepted as the natural order of things, it opened the door to similar ways of treating other human beings.’ His premise is that all exploitation is rooted in animal exploitation which in turn leads to discrimination against women, against LGBTQ people, against people of different appearance or ability, to human slavery and genocide.

“And I realized fairly quickly that there is an obvious parallel between the gross exploitation of the female reproductive system in animal agriculture and the denigration of women through sexism. I had to readjust my view of myself as a feminist, a view which should have embraced veganism all along.

“My work’s emphasis used to be on the human figure with occasional inclusions of other animals, but now the balance is reversed and humans take a more secondary role. Not

long after I became vegan I felt a conflict between the work I continued to produce with imagery I was known for, and the terrible representations of animal suffering I had seen and read about which played like a horror movie in my head.”

She describes her “Earthlings” series, some of which are depicted here. “My first animal rights work was a series of 18 drawings entitled Earthlings, directly inspired by the documentary film, which dealt with not only animal agriculture, but the fishing industry, hunting, racing and vivisection. I wanted to portray atrocities in a way that would draw in the reluctant viewer. I tried to give the animal victims a certain dignity and poignancy, while at the same time not disguising the harrowing nature of their suffering. In several drawings, the animal victim looks out of the picture and makes eye contact with the viewer, which is intended to be subtly unnerving. I want my work to touch hidden emotions, and

thereby question and change habits and attitudes.” She added that the writings of Carol J. Adams, especially The Sexual Politics of Meat and the Pornography of Meat, influenced her greatly. Like many artists, she works in a wide array of media.

“I’m a traditionalist in the media I use. I work in oil on canvas, pastel, conte crayon, charcoal, graphite and coloured pencils. The older I get, the more slowly I work; so that when I plan an oil painting I know that I shall invest several months in its realization and that determines the subject – my works in oil are more complex than my works on paper; they have multilayered narratives with a more distinct mood of the surreal.

“I also occasionally work in pastel as a form of painting. I can finish a picture more quickly in pastel and it is possible to approach the complexity of oil painting in the medium; occasionally I make a fully realized study in pastel that is also a finished work in itself.

“Much of my animal rights artwork is in drawing because I will have a rush of ideas that I wish to express. I still spend a great deal of time on them, but it doesn’t amount to months on one image.”

She described her research regimen. “I make written lists of ideas first, this is to remind myself later if I haven’t got around to working on image versions. Then I will make simple line and wash drawings in a sketchbook and if it is a painting then I’ll work up a full-sized outline drawing called a cartoon.

“I research ideas through reading, watching video/film and finding informative photographs. And I observe and draw. Ideas constantly float around in my head – they are always there.”

Lewis developed her interest in surrealism after a visit to the Tate Museum at the age of twelve. Its influence can be seen in her animal rights art. In Lewis’ words, “I feel that painting should create another world rather than simply reflect what we ordinarily see. I have little interest in pictures that are pretty arrangements of depicted objects or landscapes. I loathe pseudo-impressionist rectangles produced as interior decoration. I want a work of art to speak to the viewer, to challenge and pose questions.

“Surrealism embraces contradiction and ambiguity and expresses the relationship one has between conscious thoughts and an inner world of free-floating ideas and imagery. My animal rights work, particularly the paintings, has a surreal edge to it which I hope will at the very least encourage the viewer to pause and wonder.”

She stated that a portion of Jacqueline Morreau’s artist statement particularly resonated with her:

“We have only a small space of time in which to make our marks on paper and canvas, to effect permanent changes in society before the barbarians once more close in … We must work harder than ever to make what gains we can in the consciousness of civilized people.”

Lewis added by way of explanation, “I feel sure that Jackie would have agreed that there is now an even stronger necessity than ever to speak through whatever medium is our strength to raise consciousness against exploitation of all living creatures and the environment. We each have only our very short life in which to speak out, be it as visual artists, writers, performers, political activists or protestors; and we each have certain talents and strengths with which to express our deeply held principles. Unfortunately the barbarians seem to be closing in now with greater force than ever.”

Asked about her vision for the future, she opined, “My greatest hope is that humanity will shake itself out of its capitalist consumerist trance, sack its psychopathic political leaders and realize that this planet is the only home we have. That we need, with the greatest urgency, to value and take care of what remains of the earth’s eco-systems and the creatures, including ourselves, that depend on them. The burgeoning human population and the farmed animals it feeds on outnumber all other life to an obscene degree. Radical changes must be undertaken now, not tomorrow or next year or next decade. I have to admit that I sometimes despair.”

To view more of Lewis’ stunning art, go to: janelewisartist.com

THE WRITINGS OF MARC BEKOFF

Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. He has won many awards for his scientific research including the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society and a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2005 Marc was presented with The Bank One Faculty Community Service Award for the work he has done with children, senior citizens, and prisoners and in 2009 he was presented with the St. Francis of Assisi Award by the New Zealand SPCA. Marc has published more than 1000 essays (popular, scientific, and book chapters), 31 books, and has edited three encyclopedias.

Animal Well-Being: Simple, User-Friendly Vocabulary

Many words used to refer to nonhuman animals influence perception and attitudes. Used by kind permission of Marc Bekoff | psychologytoday.com/us/blog/animal-emotions

Last week, a well-known writer (Paul) sent me the following email:

Dear Dr. Bekoff: I read your essays about our attitudes toward animals and while I do not always agree with your views, I decided that my New Year’s resolution would be from now on to refer to animals as if they are humans, using the proper pronouns and other words to make it clear that I have changed my ways and attitudes. Might you have the time to pen a lexicon of words that you think are appropriate?

Paul’s email came at the right time because I had been thinking about how the words we use to refer to nonhuman animals (animals) influence how we view them, our attitudes toward them, and how we treat them, and also can feed into speciesist proclivities such as some animals don’t suffer as much as others or aren’t as intelligent. There aren’t degrees of sentience, and intelligence doesn’t really factor into suffering. And of course nonhumans are valuable in and of themselves because they are alive and have inherent or intrinsic value, not because they’re similar to us.

Some words also are used to psychologically distance ourselves from other animals and help to reduce the cognitive dissonance some people feel when their words and actions don’t align with their feelings.

A Cheat Sheet of Words We Should Use When Referring to Nonhuman Animals

• Animals should be referred to as who or whom rather than it, that, or which. Animals aren’t objects, although globally they are written off as being property in legal systems. When I talk

about the food people choose to eat, I point out that very often it’s a matter of who’s for dinner, not what’s for dinner, because the animals who wind up on our dinner plates were once alive and sentient.

• Labeling animals as pests or trash says more about us than about them. These words are conveniently used because it allows us to get rid of them however, wherever, and whenever we choose.

• When we choose to take an animal’s life other than when they are in interminable pain or suffering from an untreatable condition, we shouldn’t try to sanitize what we’re doing by using the words euthanized or euthanasia, which refer to mercy-killing. Laboratory and other researchers often use the word sacrifice to refer to killing an experimental animal, and those who kill wild animals often use words including euthanizing—which they are not doing—along with culling, harvesting, dispatching, disposing, eliminating, or removing to refer to what they are doing. When wolves were being killed in Washington State a few years ago, the phrase authorized removal was used to detract attention or to soften the blow of what was actually being done to the wolves. Legal systems do not allow the word murder to be used for nonhumans, but this is a speciesist move because when people are getting rid of healthy animals they are, in fact, murdering them. People who use words inappropriately should be called out. When a bear comes down to my hometown of Boulder and is killed, as was a treed mother who was with her two cubs, they are not euthanized as headlines and the shooters claim. When numerous geese are gassed to death, they are slaughtered, some would say murdered, not euthanized. However, in the recent case of the celebrity mountain lion called P-22 who

lived around Los Angeles, he unfortunately had to be euthanized because his suffering from severe injuries was so great it would have been inhumane to keep him alive in captivity or place him back into his home environs.

• When zoos kill otherwise healthy animals who don’t fit into their breeding programs or for whom there no longer is room, they dismissively call them “surplus” animals, and zoos claim they are euthanizing these disposable individuals. They are not; they are zoothanizing them because these individuals aren’t moribund or in interminable pain. In 2014, it was estimated that European zoos killed somewhere between 3,000 and 5,000 in any given year. They admit they don’t keep accurate records and don’t like to publicize what they’re actually doing. They sanitize it by calling it “management euthanasia,” which deflects attention from what they are actually doing.

• Some people call themselves mutualists but still hunt and fish. Simply defined, a mutualistic relationship means that both or all participants benefit from the interactions in which they partake. There isn’t anything mutualistic in hunter–hunted encounters, although it sounds good and softens what is actually happening.

• Coexistence means living together in harmony. It can mean simply coexisting in space and time with little to no interaction or cohabiting in a friendly manner when paths cross. Coexistence doesn’t mean it’s OK to kill another being, although that is just what some organizations such as Wildlife Services in the United States does, they claim, “in the name of coexistence.” Killing in the name of coexistence is an oxymoron and makes no sense at all. A wonderful example of coexistence occurring right now involves a family in Connecticut who discovered a hibernating black bear under their deck and is letting it stay there.

• Animals should be named rather than numbered. Naming an individual suggests there’s a close relationship and should help to stop killing them when they are not in interminable pain or suffering from an incurable disease. Why is it OK to name our companion animals and animals in zoos and aquaria but not

others such as lab animals and animals who are on their way to becoming food? Naming an animal recognizes them as the individual they are. An unnamed cow or other numbered animals aren’t less sentient, nor do they suffer less than a named individual.

Rewilding Language and Changing Our Mindset

I’m glad Paul wrote to me. It’s not asking too much of people who choose to kill animals to be upfront about what they’re doing. Language, thought, and action are well connected, and a change in language could, and should, change how we interact with other animals, especially when killing is an option for dealing with a particular “problem animal,” some of whom are simply hanging out because we stole their home. My own very close unplanned encounters with cougars, black bears, and red foxes have taught me valuable lessons about the importance of coexistence.

The solution to mislabeling what we do to animals and how we refer to them is to “rewild” language in scientific literature, mass media, and everyday conversations.1 When people use a misnomer, gently correct them and explain why you are doing so. This can lead to fruitful discussions about animal–human relationships. Nothing is lost by doing so, and a lot can be gained that can help other animals and ourselves coexist harmoniously.

References

1) Soon after I posted this piece I saw John McWhorter’s essay “The Secret Lives of Words” in which he writes, “The fit between words and meanings is much fuzzier and unstable than we are led to suppose by the static majesty of the dictionary and its tidy definitions. What a word means today is a Polaroid snapshot of its lexical life, long-lived and frequently under transformation.”

Seeing Species: A New Book Looks at Animals in Media.

Calling Animals “Pests” Is More About Us Than Them.

“Zoothanasia” Is Not Euthanasia: Words Matter.