As a child, I spent as much time as possible outdoors. Even at the age of 3, I would ride my tricycle down the sidewalks of Brooklyn and long to encounter all the dogs, birds, squirrels, and ants that lived in our neighborhood. My parents constantly told me to ‘think animals’ – conversations that took decades the book of the same name. I later realized that this meant two things: I attached intelligence and emotion to animals, and I was interested in how they behaved. In my youth, my interest in animals continued in the woods of Long Island. I could feel their emotions as I absorbed their canineness, frogging, and fishing. On these nature walks I developed my empathy and compassion; it seemed natural to imagine the views of different animals. I think this is true for most children.
These early explorations led me to become a field ethologist. I wanted to observe more than just animals careerbut I also wanted to prove through research that what I intuitively knew from my youth was true – that nonhuman animals are sentient beings, aware and experiencing their own rich inner lives. Of course, now we know this thanks to a huge amount of research. But then we didn’t. And this knowledge should influence how we, as individuals and as a society, care for and interact with animals.
The basis of this Love in Their Hearts: A Celebration of Animal Emotions and a Guide to Compassionate ActionI co-wrote with young adult author Jeff Campbell. Through science and stories, I want to inspire readers, especially young ones, with the rich emotional life of animals, show the importance of emotions for all creatures, and inspire compassion to improve the lives of animals where possible. Animal feelings are important. Their feelings are absolutely important to them and they are important to us.
Emotional intelligence can save your life
Observing and respecting the feelings of animals makes us better emotional intelligence. It teaches us to understand what can happen inside any creature – human and non-human. Emotional intelligence is a basic life skill that many teachers teach. In fact, non-human animals are excellent teachers. Many animals are intelligent about emotions and show a remarkable ability to read others. They also show great empathy.
For example, I share the story of Jethro, an adopted dog who has been my companion for 23 years. One day Jethro came to the front door with the creature in his mouth, only to pick up a very young, very wet rabbit. I didn’t see any injuries. It was a small bundle of fur abandoned by its mother and now in need of care, food and love. Jethro looked up, tall and clearly proud of his compassion, with all his being: Come on, do something.
For two weeks we nursed Rabbit (as I called him very special) back to health, and Jethro never left his side the whole time. I was afraid that he would hurt him, but he only protected him and accepted him as his friend. When we finally let Rabbit go, he hid in a woodpile for an hour before jumping out, and several months later, Jethro returned to the woods, hoping to see his friend again.
Another story holds a different lesson. Orca trainer John Hargrove once trained Freya, the matriarch of the killer whales, at a marine life park. But Freya was angry – Hargrove could see it in her eyes and demeanor – and she aggressively put Hargrove in the middle of the pool, threatened to hit him with her hands and mouth, and briefly held him under water. Gargrove knew that even if Freya was only sending a message, she could easily drown before she stopped. Farther swimming can be worse aggression. Instead, Hargrove lured Freya into training, and then she ran away.
Later, thinking about Freya’s recent actions, Hargrove realized that he felt disrespected. She had put the other orcas first in her training, which he resented, and she knew that from now on she would have to treat him with the same level of respect that the matriarch demanded. Later, Hargrove and Freya trained together amicably without aggressive episodes for years – because he understood and respected her feelings and point of view.
Humane Education and the Influence of Jane Goodall: “Jane Magic”
It is important to remember Jane Goodall’s tireless efforts to help all beings. He lived life science, hope, humanity and peace. People around the world call on Jane’s global influence”Jane Magic.” wrote the foreword for Jane Goodall before her death in October 2025 Love in Their Hearts. He was a dear friend and we wrote books together (including an upcoming children’s book Every elephant has a namedue in 2027). Also, I was and still am an ambassador Roots and shootsJane’s Youth Movement Program was founded in 1991. There are Roots and Shoots groups in 75 countries that teach children of all ages about animals, people and animals. the environmentand empower them to act in their communities.
