Animals in Translation

Update:  Temple Grandin has recently published a new animal book titled Animals Make us Human and is a currently the #1 ranked zoology book at amazon!

Philosophers and scientists have long wondered what goes on in the minds of animals, and this fascinating study gives a wealth of illuminating insights into that mystery.

Temple Grandin has been known to crawl through slaughterhouses to get a sense of what the animals there are experiencing. An autistic woman who as a child was recommended for institutionalization, Grandin has managed not only to enter society’s mainstream but ultimately to become prominent in animal research.

An associate professor at Colorado State University, she designs facilities used worldwide for humane handling of livestock. She also invented a “hug machine” (based on a cattle-holding chute) that calms autistic children. In Animals in Translation, co-authored with science writer Catherine Johnson, Grandin makes an intriguing argument that, psychologically, animals and autistic people have a great deal in common—and that both have mental abilities typically underestimated by normal people.

The book is a valuable, if speculative, contribution to the discussion of both autism and animal intelligence, two subjects on which there is little scientific consensus. Autistics, in Grandin’s view, represent a “way station” between average people, with all their verbal and conceptual abilities, and animals. In touring animal facilities, Grandin often spots details—a rattling chain, say, or a fluttering piece of cloth—that disturb the animals but have been overlooked by the people in charge. She also draws on psychological studies to show how oblivious humans can be to their surroundings. Ordinary humans seem to be less detail-oriented than animals and autistics.

Grandin argues that animals have formidable cognitive capabilities, albeit specialized ones, whereas humans are cognitive generalists. Dogs are smell experts, birds are migration specialists, and so on. In her view, some animals have a form of genius—much as autistic savants can perform feats of memory and calculation far beyond the abilities of average people. Some dogs, for example, can predict when their owner is about to have a seizure. Delving into animal emotion, aggression and suffering, Grandin gives tips that may be useful for caretakers of pets and farm animals.

She also notes that humans seem to need, and thrive on, the proximity of animals. Indeed, she states provocatively, in the process of becoming human we gave up something primal, and being around animals helps us get a measure of that back.

In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall book review

In the Shadows of Man

by Jane Goodall

Ahh, the classic Jane Goodall book, In the Shadow of Man.  This was Jane’s first mainstream book that was published back in 1971.  The subject of this book?  Studying the wild chimpanzees and the life she lived while observing them.

In the Shadow of Man captures animals as emotional beings, something that had rarely been done. Goodall tells the story of the “F” family of chimpanzees and follows other families with many photos to go along with the stories.  It is fun to read about the chimps playing and fighting with the babboons followed by seeing a photo of a baboon charging a chimp while the chimpanzee throws a rock to defend itself.

There are many fantastic photos of Jane Goodall and the chimpanzees.  With 64 total pages of black and white photos you can really understand the life Goodall and her photographer ex-husband Hugo Van Lawick lived while.

Ah, the great great ape Kanzi.  If you are a fan of smart animals and you do not know who Kanzi the Bonobo is, you probably should read this book.  I am very excited and pleased to present this book on Kanzi, the ape that learned to understand human’s language.

If you ever wondered if animals had the ability to think, this book will prove that they do without question.  If you ever if humans could ever talk to the animals, Kanzi proves that it is possible.

An example of lexigram symbols

Although Kanzi does not have the ability to speak like humans, Kanzi can certainly communicate in another form of language by using the Lexigram system, which is using symbols that represents a word.

This method of communication may seem strange or unimpressive, but once you see Kanzi in action you will understand how amazing it is.  For example, if the person working with kanzi had a banana in their pocket, Kanzi would probably point to the banana symbol to let them know what he wanted.

Another amazing ability that Kanzi possessed was the ability to understand human’s spoken language.  This is the really amazing thing about kanzi, for he could sit and listen to a human speak and know exactly what that person is saying.  If you look at the video below, you can see that Kanzi fully understands the woman talking.  The reason the woman has a mask over her head is to show you how kanzi does not need to the aid of reading lips, he is just hearing what needs to be done.

If you need an introduction to Kanzi, please view the youtube video to the left.

Ok, good.  Now you know Kanzi!  Back to the book review.

This book is by far the best book written on a great ape learning to communicate with humans.  The author, Sue Savage-Rumbaugh (along with Roger Lewin) is the perfect person to write on this topic because she spent years teaching Kanzi how to use the Lexigram system so that they could communicate with each other.

If you are fascinated with this Bonobo Chimpanzee, you need to check this out.  The middle of the book has a nice selection of black and white photos of Kanzi throughout the years that will make you giggle with delight as you seen him wanting to go for a ride in the van, without anyone giving him the key to unlock the door you can see a photo of Kanzi using a screwdriver he had found on the ground to try to stick it in the keyhole to unlock the door.  There are photos of Kanzi at a very young age, Kanzi playing with the Lexigram charts and many more!

Who should read this book?

If you are interested in learning more about Kanzi, check it out.  If you want to find out how a chimpanzee was taught to communicate with humans, this book is for you!

For further reading, please check out all of the animal books that i have reviewed.  Also please feel free to check out some of my animal pictures that i have taken! I have recently reviewed Bonobo: The Forgotten Ape which is a must read for bonobo lovers!

My Life with the Chimpanzees Book Review

Jane Goodall’s Book on Working with the Chimpanzees and her Life.

Jane Goodall Book for Kids or anyone looking for a quick introduction to the life and work of one of the most famous person to ever study chimpanzees or any kind of animal!

Jane Goodall talks about her adventures in Gombe National Park in Africa where she spent many years studying the wild animals she grew to love called the Chimpanzees.  From a young age Jane Goodall knew that working around animals was something she had to do and thankfully her parents fully supported her in her life choice.

This book is written like an adventure novel with thrilling stories about living in the wild with her husband and photographer and their son nicknamed Grub.  Jane Goodall’s study of the Chimpanzees has redefined the way humans look at other animals.  In fact, because of Jane Goodall, humans had to re-think what it is to be labeled as an animal.  It used to be known that only humans had the abilities to make tools and use them, but one day Goodall witnessed a chimpanzee using a man-made tool, something chimpanzees are amazing at.  After this discovery there have been many other animals seen in the wild using tools, including the obvious Gorillas and Orangutans, but also including the not so obvious dolphins and birds (view the vultures using a tool).

Why parents should buy this book

I really believe that when you teach your children about animals at an early age they will be more likely to want to help save the animals as they are adults.  Jane Goodall does an amazing job telling people about the importance of saving the chimpanzees and other animals in danger and has devoted her life to it.

With this book, My Life with the Chimpanzees, Jane Goodall brings you on an adventure and totally captures your imagination.  She also explains individual chimpanzees that she has met in her journeys and lets the reader really understand how different Chimpanzees can be, just like humans.

Can Adults Read this Book?

I must say that this is a great book for adults to read.  Although the print is large and it is a rather short book at only 160 pages and the “reading level” at ages 9-12, i can recommend this book to adults because the other option is a 768 page biography called Jane Goodall which is much harder to read than this. Plus, you can find this at most Book stores for the low price of $6.99!

Here is a quote from an amazon reviewer.

The book was purchased for a project learning about Jane Goodall. Unfortunately for me, I didn’t look closely enough before buying the book to realize it was written for young readers. Even though it wasn’t appropriate for my college level project, I read through it anyway and found it to be an excellent book.

Read Dian Fossey’s self-told Story About Studying The Gorillas

The first thing i should mention about Gorillas in the Mist is that the author, Dian Fossey, is the absolute most important woman to ever be involved with the Gorillas.  There are other noteable women working with the Gorilla, mainly Dr. Penny Patterson, who taught Koko and Michael the Gorillas GSL (Gorilla Sign Language), but we must celebrate the life of Dian Fossey.

Dian Fossey was murdered in 1985 while sleeping in the a shack in the woods in Africa, probably murdered by poachers.  Fossey was speaking out against the poaching and killing of Gorillas in the wild and it is obvious that the poachers needed to finish her off to keep their trade alive.

About Gorillas in the Mist

Dian Fossey’s Gorillas in the Mist is self-told story about Dian’s 13 years studying the Gorillas in a war-torn and troubled region of Africa.  Not much was known about the Gorillas at the time she set off in 1963 from Kentucky, USA.  Gorillas are now known as gentle giants, they are by far the largest of the great apes and are probably the kindest in some areas.  Because of their size and incredibly scary displays (when a great ape is threatened or wanting to show off they will pound their chest, show their teeth and run at you) and large teeth, the first non-African people to find them surely must have been scared.  This lead to a number of misunderstood movies portraying the Gorillas as feriousious monsters, like the famous movie King Kong.

What Dian Fossey discovered was that Gorillas live in small groups with one or two males, known as blackbacks and silverbacks, who watched over them and protected them.  She also discovered the Gorillas desire for contact, which mainly came in the form of grooming, which made them very social and gentle.

In the opening chapter i found a very funny tale told by Fossey right after meeting the famed Leakey:

Dr. Leakey gave me permission to walk around some newly excavated sites at Olduvai, one of which contained a recently discovered giraffe fossil. As i ran down a steep slope, my exultation at being free under Africa skies was abruptly shattered, along with my right ankle, when i fell into a dig containing the new find. As the ankle cracked, the sudden pain induced me to vomit unceremoniously all over the treasured fossil. As if this wasn’t humiliating enough, I had to be ignominiously hauled out of the gorge, piggyback style, by disgusted members of the Leakeys’ staff.

Becoming a member of Leakey’s Angels

Dian Fossey was a member of Leakeys' Angels. Click the image for a larger version of the poster designed by myself.

Dian Fossey explains, in the beginning of the book, how she had to leave America and find out more about the wild Gorillas of Africa.  In September of 1963 she finally made it there and me Mary Leakey and Louis Leakey.  This meeting of Louis Leakey would change Fossey’s life forever, much like it did for Jane Goodall, the great Chimpanzee woman and also Birute Galdikas, the great Orangutan woman.

Breaking her ankle slowed her adventures down for a few weeks, but she continued on her journey using a crutch and ventured off into the wild.

As you can see in the poster to the left, Fossey was a member of Leakey’s Angels.  Fossey was the only one from America, while Jane Goodall was from England and Birute Galdikas is from Germany.  Goodall and Galdikas still are involved in great ape conservation groups, so if you are a fan of either there is a chance you can meet both!

For a little more information on each incrediable women, please visit my flickr page on Leakey’s Angels to view a poster i made dedicated to the group.

The Darkside of the Study of Great Apes

Dian Fossey discovered amazing things about the Gorillas which probably lead to her death in 1985.  The more people found out about the Gorillas, the more humans would be likely to save the species.  In Dian’s time and even right now, the Gorillas habitat is in Rwanda where there is so much war and instability that humans are finding that surviving is almost impossible.

People have become so desperate for food and money, which is understandable in a way, that they resort to poaching and killing Great Apes and Monkeys for the bushmeat trade, and also to sell the babies on the black market.  Usually they will hunt down a mother and it’s baby and shoot the mother.  The babies are so small and so dependant on the mother, much like human babies, that they will not leave the side of the mother, making them easy targets.  Many Gorillas you see in zoos have witnessed their mother being murdered and having humans pull them away from their dead mother.

Infact, there is a really amazing moment in Koko the Gorilla’s movie where Michael, her Gorilla friend, describes the loss of her mother! This video really made it clear to me how intelligent the great apes really are.