Wild Animals and American Environmental Ethics [Hardcover]

Lisa Mighetto (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Human attitudes toward animals have followed an interesting progression since the conservation movement began in the mid-19th century. This book traces the changing patterns of human perceptions of wild animals through a study of the literature of the late 19th and 20th centuries. Photographs, as well as literary references from such authors as Jack London, John Muir, and Rachel Carson, are used to illustrate people's attitudes toward wildlife. The author does not argue either for or against the animal rights movement. She advocates acceptance of animals as they are and tries to combat the human-centeredness that has pervaded our thinking about the animal kingdom. This well-written volume would be an interesting addition to environmental collections in academic libraries.
- Deborah Emerson, Monroe Community Coll. Lib., Rochester,
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 177 pages
• Publisher: University of Arizona Press; 1ST edition (October 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0816511608
• ISBN-13: 978-0816511600
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.2 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,523,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good history of early animal welfare movement and its role in environmental movement, January 4, 2007

By 

Arthur Digbee (Indianapolis, IN, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Wild Animals and American Environmental Ethics (Paperback)

This book provides an intellectual history of American views toward wild animals. Though the book covers other matters, its particular contribution lies in emphasizing the role of the animal welfare movement as a motive for preserving nature and wilderness. Mighetto examines the early years of the animal welfare and environmental movements in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, giving a lot of attention to fiction writers and the popular press as opposed to philosophers or theoreticians.

The animal welfare perspective tends to emphasize individual animals - - a Bambi perspective, if you well. As Mighetto notes, this leads to conflicts with two other strands of the conservation movement. First, there's an obvious conflict with hunters, who have historically been an important part of the conservation coalition. Second, there's a conflict with those who care more about biodiversity and/or whole ecosystems. For example, Mighetto discusses the problem of feral burros in the desert southwest, which the National Park Service would like to kill because they wreak havoc on the soil and native vegetation. Most environmental groups agree, but most animal welfare advocates would disagree with park service policy.

This is a small book but a worthwhile one. It's not a profound treatment of a big topic, but it does a good job covering its particular neck of the woods.