What separates us homo sapiens from our animal brothers? Not much according to two new books, Animal Talk (Free Press, 2004) and The Beast in the Garden (Norton, 2004). Whether we’re talking about the dining habits of frat boys or the mating rituals of monkeys, the boundaries, it appears, easily meld. And as more and more wild animals interact on a daily basis with a rapidly expanding human domain, there are important lessons to be learned from these two books.
“Humans did not invent dancing, sexy attire, or romantic gifts,” says Tim Friend in Animal Talk. No, for every drag queen there exists a flashy bird or reptile with the right set of moves capable of similar antics with similar results. Animal Talk explores the communication patterns of Earth’s many species, in the hopes of answering a few simple questions such as, “Can a bird understand a monkey?” and “Is any animal system of communication similar to human language?” From the rain forests of Central and South America to the underwater realms of dolphins and jellyfish, Friend explores animal whistles, odors, gestures, squeaks and squawks and reminds us that, after all, “All creatures spend much of their time talking about sex, real estate, who’s boss, and what’s for dinner.”
A more chilling account of what happens when two species cross paths, The Beast in the Garden explores the events and circumstances leading up to the first fatal mountain lion attack in decades in Colorado during the 1990s. Part murder mystery, part documentary, Beast asks more questions than it answers. What does it mean to be “wild”? Is true wilderness, like the industrial ideal in which technology solves everything, simply a myth? How can we protect the animals while protecting ourselves? “We can bring the lions and wolves and bears back to America, and there are a great many good reasons to do so-ecological reasons, spiritual ones-but these great animals will not restore a mythic past, cannot erase the need for human intervention,” says David Baron. Ultimately, the book’s strength lies in its honest presentation of a complex situation and in the author’s ability to refrain from taking a moral stand.
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Updated: Feb 24th, 2006 - 14:18:11
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