The animal world under the scientific and activist magnifying glass

Three recent works with a scientific content place domestic or wild animals at the center of the chessboard. Whether it’s communication, ecology or advice on how to offer a better life expectancy to your dog, this trio of detailed titles allows you to harvest the fruit of research and reflections on the animal theme.




For a pitou who holds up

Long live my dog! is not a quick, well-made summary of more or less wise advice for taking care of your companion’s health, but a very comprehensive book full of scientific references which explores, in a global approach, the main facets of the factors of longevity in dogs. Food, exercises, environment, exposure to stress… the latest scientific studies are invoked to allow you to see more clearly when it comes to making the best choices according to your animal and its living environment. Signed by a clinical veterinarian who is very active on social networks and the creator of the Planet Paws educational video page, the book may be frightening at first sight, with its 400 pages peppered with tables, diagrams and long passages full of cutting-edge scientific explanations in small print (and again, all the references to the sources have been evacuated to a website to lighten the whole thing!), but the insertion of practical and popularized summaries at the end of the chapter allows quick access to the essentials.

Long live my dog!

Long live my dog!

The claw

400 pages

In the name of animal rights

Now let’s move into the field of activism and testing, with Animal autonomy, a textured work by a trio of committed authors, including Vipulan Puvaneswaran, a rising star in the ecological movement. At the heart of the subject: the relationship of power and domination, reviewed through the prism of the animal condition. In fact, the editors establish a bridge between the latter and the struggles of workers and the oppressed of all kinds, placing all the issues in the global context of the living. Above all, they sign a manifesto for “political autonomy where animals, their desire for freedom and the extent of the violence endured are taken into consideration”. Food “decolonization”, vegan agricultural practices, division of territories, animal exploitation in the capitalist mechanism… in a varied and well synthesized way, this book opens up many avenues of help while deconstructing past excesses.

Animal autonomy

Animal autonomy

Michael Lafon

224 pages

Do you speak cetaceans?

Behind this intriguing and poetic title, How to speak whale, hides an in-depth investigation of the modes of communication of cetaceans. In his very first book, biologist and documentary filmmaker Tom Mustill traces a sea kayaking trip in which he almost died, when a humpback whale made a potentially fatal jump. to his crew. From then on, he frantically bends over the question of animal communication, going from surprise to surprise, and much more complex than it seems at first sight. Would we be able to decode it, or even respond to it? Coated by a lively narration, as well as by solid scientific references, the work immerses us in a fascination close to that staged in Arrival, where a linguist seeks to decipher an obscure extraterrestrial language. But why search the far reaches of the galaxy for mysteries that lie right there, under the sea?

How to speak whale

How to speak whale

Albin Michael

412 pages

A new podcast for the SPCA


PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES

The first season of the Montreal SPCA’s new podcast will focus on farm animals.

The Montreal SPCA has just launched the very first season of a new six-part podcast, In the name of the animals, hosted by Claudia Larochelle. Focusing on six animal species, their living conditions, their protection and their well-being, a range of experts, namely veterinarians, researchers, lawyers and ethicists, will enlighten listeners are resolutely contemporary issues. This first season focuses on farm animals. The new series is available on Spotify, Google Podcasts and Apple Podcasts, among others.


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