Amy Hatkoff

Writing for Change

Chickens can count. Pigs are smarter than poodles. Cows form close friendships. Turkeys know one another by their voices, and sheep recognize faces - of other sheep and of people. Far from lacking thoughts and feelings, barnyard creatures demonstrate sophisticated problem-solving abilities, possess rich social lives, and feel a wide range of emotions. In other words, they're much like humans in countless ways. And, like us, they suffer physical pain and mental anguish. In The Inner World of Farm Animals, Amy Hatkoff combines the latest research on the emotional and intellectual capacities of farm animals with touching stories and soulful photos to bring their inner world to life - and she joins the growing call for treating these aware, feeling beings with compassion and respect.

This story encapsulates what I experienced over and over as I learned about the extraordinary and often unexpected abilities of farm animals. I interviewed scientists, researchers, and individuals working with chickens, ducks, geese, turkeys, cows, pigs, sheep, and goats throughout the United States, England, France, Australia, Canada, and many other countries. In conversation after conversation, I was struck by the richness of the animals' lives. The complexity of their communication, the sophistication of their problem-solving abilities, and the range of their emotions became very vivid. As hearing and reading became believing for me, I was both excited and saddened. I realized that our lack of recognition of who they are is a loss not only for the animals, but for us as well, and particularly for our children. How is it that we do not know about their cognitive abilities or how much they care for one another, their children, and if given the opportunity, for humans? We have overlooked chickens, turkeys, pigs, cows, sheep, and goats as sentient beings from whom we have much to learn and much to receive—and more importantly to whom we have so much to give.

It is easy not to think about farm animals, about who they are, what they experience or even what they mean to us. For those of us who are city dwellers, our only contact with livings pigs, sheep, chickens, turkeys, ducks, geese, cows, sheep, and goats may be limited, making it even more difficult to develop an understanding of them.

For me, it wasn't until I visited a farm animal sanctuary... that all that I had learned came together... What struck me most was that I found myself relating to and interacting with the chickens, turkeys, cows, pigs, sheep and goats in the same way I do with the dogs and cats in my life. They were no different. They were just as present, aware, engaging, warm, friendly, serious, funny or shy. Yet, in so many ways, these animals are the forgotten ones, the ones we rarely see, hear, touch, or get to know. Yet, in those two short hours, they had become my teachers. With a majesty and grace that belied what they had been through, they seemed to represent the possibility of hope, forgiveness, resilience, and an extraordinary ability to overcome. They had opened my heart and my mind to farm animals even further.

This book is dedicated to them and to the twenty two billion animals who are currently being farmed throughout the world. It is written in the hope that as we discover who these animals are, we will be inspired to become part of the growing movement to treat them with much deserved compassion and respect. By exploring their inner world, we will hopefully be moved to advocate for practices that are more ethical and humane.

The way we view animals determines how they are treated. The evidence demonstrating that farm animals are sentient beings is strong and undeniable. Many of the capacities that have long been thought unique to humans have been shown to be abilities that we share with non-human animals. Slowly, the walls separating "us" and "them" are coming down. We are beginning to recognize that these walls were, in fact, largely man-made. We are, indeed, closer than we think.

Reviews

"The Inner World of Farm Animals brings together a fascinating mix of science and story-telling about the intelligence and emotional lives of farm animals. A treasure-trove book, which will delight, amaze, cause laughter and, possibly, a tear or two."

–Joyce D'Silva, Ambassador for Compassion in World Farming

"The Inner World of Farm Animals will surely change your mind about the emotional lives of these wonderful beings. Moving stories of Alice, a doting and dancing turkey, Hope and Johnny, two loving pigs, and Olivia, a goat with a wonderful personality, woven in with the latest scientific research, make it clear that we must stop abusing them and other hapless animals for our own selfish needs. The easiest way for us to increase our compassion footprint is to appreciate animals for who they are -- amazing individuals who care deeply about what happens to them."

–Marc Bekoff, author of The Emotional Lives of Animals, Animals Matter, and Animals at Play

"All animal lovers will love this book. Farm animals are sentient and they have true emotions. The photographs is this book are gorgeous too."

–Temple Grandin, author of Animals in Translation and Animals Make Us Human

"This beautiful, well-researched book should make every meat-eater think differently about the lives of the animals that turn up on his or her plate."

–Peter Singer, Princeton University, Author of Animal Liberation

"Amy Hatkoff's insightful book addresses a question we've finally started asking: just how evolved is our place on the food chain, anyway? Until we recognize that as eaters we're dealing with sentient beings rather than assembly-line widgets in factory farms, we're doomed ... Books like this one point to a different road: the future depends on our taking it."

–Dan Barber, Chef, Blue Hill at Stone Barns

"I am so glad Amy Hatkoff wrote this very important book on the plight of farm animals. I have long been concerned with the food choices I make for myself and my family but over the years, I have become increasingly more aware of how everyone's choices are affecting the Earth and the animals that share it. I firmly believe that factory farming is the number one cause of global warming, not to mention its catastrophic effects on the destruction of the rain forest, world hunger and our own health... As soon as we all take responsibility for our actions... , we will see the results not only on a personal level but on a global and karmic one as well."

–Russell Simmons, CEO, Rush Philanthropic