Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos [Paperback]

Derrick Jensen (Author), Karen Tweedy-Holmes (Photographer)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 15, 2007

Combining stunning photos with a deeply moving essay, this book presents a passionate and unflinching exploration of zoos and what they teach us about animals, ourselves, and our relationship to the wild. This compelling work paints an unforgettable portrait not only of -life on the inside+, but of our views of the natural world and our place in it.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

To counter most books being written about zoos that present zoos favorably, never questioning their very existence, activist Jenkins and photographer Karen Tweedy-Holmes produce their examination of what zoos are and what their effect is on their animal inmates and the human animals who observe them. Jensen writes in a deliberately polemical style, challenging the reader with language that is in turn sarcastic and poetic but always urgent and angry. A zoo is a nightmare taking shape in concrete and steel. Tweedy-Holmes' photos, in stark black and white, are views of animals in obvious incarceration--bars or mesh often obscure the view; cement-formed pools, rocks, ledges, or walls predominate; doors, walls, and buildings hint at unnatural enclosures; and the animals are all obviously captive. Captions give the species and where they are found in the wild, though not which zoo is illustrated (a photographer's note at the end lists them). A good choice for presenting the other side in the moral debate about zoos. Nancy Bent
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Review

"This sensitive and thought-provoking volume by ecological activist and author Jensen (A Language Older Than Words) and photographer Tweedy-Holmes raises more questions than it answers but compels nonetheless. Are we our brother's keeper? And, if so, just who (or what) is our brother? The book is not about conditions in which animals are held captive; instead, it explores the question of why animals are held captive at all as Jensen examines the who, what, and why of animal captivity, balancing the historical facts with his own strong personal experiences and beliefs. There is little tolerance for differing views, and in this aspect, this work fits the publisher's aim of "creating unique voices on behalf of those who are unseen, ignored or disregarded by society." Its strength and objectivity comes from Tweedy-Holmes's photographs that depict animals as contained, confined, and imprisoned. Shot at some of the finest zoos in the world, these pictures do not exhibit or exploit an animal's sufferings or even display them in degrading conditions. Tweedy-Holmes simply allows viewers to form their own conclusions. A beautifully constructed if polemical work, this text is recommended for large public and academic animal rights collections." -- Library Journal

An impassioned argument for the dissolution of zoos... an intelligent, well-organized debate, written in a conversational tone that engages the reader while tackling a subject encompassing psychological, social, and environmental issues... (Jensen) writes with a conviction that leads readers to think deeply about what their own beliefs are about zoos. -- ForeWord magazine

Derrick Jensen lays bare the reality of zoos: prisons for the wild creatures whose worlds we have utterly destroyed with our 'progress'. He makes apparent the repression and alienation that zoos represent. Yet, there is the glint of the unbreakable spirit of life in each of these beautiful living beings' eyes, and Jensen infuses us with hope for something better. He gives us the courage to do whatever it takes to reclaim a wild, pure and interconnected life with the natural world. -- Andrew Hurley, drummer, Grammy-nominated rock band Fall Out Boy

Finally, someone has the courage to question zoos. Animals in zoos are not ambassadors teaching us about the natural world, they're unwilling prisoners, teaching us how we as humans seem to need to dominate every living being on the planet. This is a brave book and a much needed voice on behalf of the animals. -- Bill Maher, Comedian, Host of HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher

Karen Tweedy-Holmes's photographs succeed in walking a fine line between the fine art world and the world of animal welfare. Her extraordinary images possess a complicated beauty and power, revealing the plight of the nonhuman animals trapped in human grasp. With this book, Tweedy-Holmes and Jensen join the increasing chorus of voices in support of progressive change for those who share the planet with us. -- Frank Noelker, author of Captive Beauty: Zoo Portraits by Frank Knoelker

The distinguished environmental author inveighs against zoos. These symbols of humanity's false sense of superiority over nature, Jensen argues, imprison more than they educate or protect. The accompanying photos by Karen Tweedy-Holmes provide a heartbreaking look into the reality faced by animals in many zoos... a wholesale condemnation of these false and confined `habitats.' -- UTNE.com From The Stacks

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Product Details

• Paperback: 152 pages
• Publisher: Novoice Unheard (June 15, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0972838716
• ISBN-13: 978-0972838719
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 10 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,010,557 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Piercing, Beautifully Illustrated Attack on Zoos, June 22, 2007

By 

Jonathan Balcombe "author of Second Nature: T... (Washington, D.C.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos (Paperback)

One need only read the title to know that this handsome book is not a celebration of zoos. It is, rather, a full frontal attack on them. Jensen provides a poetic text written from the heart, and while his bibliography excludes some important writings on zoos, his criticisms are piercing. "Zoos are about power," he says, meaning our power over animals and our control over nature (or at least the illusion of it). He describes the clicking of a grizzly bear's claws on the concrete floor of her cage as she paces back and forth rhythmically, neurotically. This stereotyped pacing will be familiar to practically anyone who's spent time at a zoo, and it's symptomatic of what's wrong with these institutions. "Zoos are a manifestation of this civilizing process: the foreclosure of options, the enclosure of freedoms... A bear is simplified to meat in a sack of brown fur, and not the relationships, desires, and behaviors that make a bear. She becomes a BEARTM."

Zoos are first and foremost commercial enterprises, and the animals' interests invariably play second (or third, or forth) fiddle to the quest for profit. Large, charismatic species are reduced to mere shells by the interminable boredom and lack of stimulation. Average life expectancy is actually short; those statistics of animals living longer in captivity are based on the rare elders who beat the odds, not on average life span. Jensen also rightly rebukes humanity's hypocrisy in romanticizing wildness while simultaneously extirpating any wild creature that gets in the way of our commercial developments. And zoos have precious little to show for their self-aggrandizing claims of benefiting species survival.

Tweedy-Holmes's black and white photos show the dignity and grace of animals despite their artificial surroundings. The images are poignant without any hint of being manipulative. Fittingly, the zoos where the photos were taken are not recorded; instead the species name is accompanied by a list of countries (sometimes only one) where they still cling to a wild existence. I noticed a couple of errors here: the American "Black bear" on page 117 is actually an Asiatic black bear, and I suspect the "Rhesus monkey" on page 76 is a White uakari.

This book will change your next visit to a zoo, if you decide to go at all.

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Thought-provoking manifesto, June 9, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos (Paperback)

Written Press Action Person of the Year Derrick Jensen and photographed by critically acclaimed artist Karen Tweedy-Holmes, Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos is a protest against human environmental destruction wild habitat, and especially, the incarceration of wild animals in zoos. Questioning the purpose of zoos and what they teach humans about their relationship to nonhuman animals, Thought to Exist in the Wild harshly criticizes zoos for their commercialism, their reduction of animals to the levels of commodities, and the dubious morality of taking away wild creatures' entertainment for novelty purposes. "Bears are not toys. They are not symbols or stand-ins for Native American cultures. They are not attractions. They are not resources to be managed. They are not pests to be exterminated. They are bears... Every bear - every animal, inside or outside of zoos - is an individual. Each one has, believe it or not, a life." The compelling black-and-white photography poignantly illustrates the passionately charged essays in this thought-provoking manifesto.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An Uncompromising View of Zoos, July 27, 2008

By 

Gregg Eldred (Avon Lake, OH USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos (Paperback)

As I was reviewing the new books at the library, I held two possibilities for my next read, a book on the best zoos in the United States or this book, Thought to Exist in the Wild: Awakening from the Nightmare of Zoos, by Derrick Jensen and Karen Tweedy-Holmes. As you might guess, I elected to read Thought to Exist in the Wild. And I am glad that I did.

Beautiful photographs from Tweedy-Holmes punctuate the words of Jensen. Jensen is, as you may guess from the title, not a fan of zoos. After reading his words and seeing the pictures, I am less inclined to visit zoos. The only reason I would visit them would be to ask hard questions of the zookeepers and docents. Jensen makes it very clear that zoos exist for man to control nature. But nature should not be controlled by placing animals in cages for our entertainment. They should be viewed in their real habitat. Can't get to Africa to see wild elephants or lions? What about the nature in your own backyard? Birds, deer, rabbits, snakes, and insects that live and visit your area are worthy of your attention as well as your children. In that way, you have a relationship with nature and the things that inhabit it. Taking animals from their homes, killing the mothers and fathers, then shipping the children across the oceans is barbaric. Jensen tells the tale of one famous animal dealer that also dealt in humans (slaves). It is easy to make the inference that we are enslaving the animal kingdom for our own profit and entertainment.

Throughout the book, Jensen debunks the myths brought forward by pro-zoo authors and zookeepers. Tweedy-Holmes' pictures, of caged animals in some of the world's "best" zoos are beautifully done. In most cases, however, she makes sure that you are aware that the animal is in a cage. This is not an easy book to read as it strips bare the prevailing view of zoos and most of the press that they receive. Thought to Exist in the Wild is small but it will alter your perceptions of the caging of animals for your entertainment and the zoo's profits.