The Inner Life of Animals

Mother deer that grieve? Horses that feel shame? Squirrels that adopt their grandchildren?We humans tend to assume that we are the only living things able to experience feelings intensely and consciously. But have you ever wondered what?s going on in an animal?s head?More and more researchers are realising that animals in fact experience a rich emotional life. Acting as our interpreter of the animal world and of the fascinating science, Peter Wohlleben brings this new research to life with his own observations of his favourite creatures. From the leafy forest floor to the inside of a bee hive, The Inner Life of Animals shows us microscopic levels of observation as well as forcing us to confront the big philosophical, ethical and scientific questions. We hear the stories of a grateful humpback whale, of a hedgehog who has nightmares, and of a magpie who commits adultery; we meet bees that plan for the future, pigs who learn their own names and crows that go tobogganing for fun. And at last we find out why wasps exist.Our fellow creatures are not mindless automatons driven by an inflexible genetic code, but individuals with personality and feeling. The Inner Life of Animals will show you these living things in a new light and will open up the animal kingdom like never before.

"Always fascinating... Wry, avuncular, careful and kind, Wohlleben guides us from one creature to the next" -- Richard Kerridge Guardian "Wohlleben presents short chapter in bite-sized portions, so the reader has a constant sense of learning something new almost with every page ... The formula is provably winning. I still felt I was on a robust learning curve as subjects as diverse as motherly love, gratitude, deception, desire, shame and knowledge of good and evil were explored one by one ... fascinating" -- Katharine Norbury Observer "Wohlleben is connecting with something big here... He truffles up some wonderful animal facts, too... Wohlleben's empathy with animals can be touching and illuminating" -- James McConnachie Sunday Times "Entertaining and enthusiastic" -- Tim Smith-Laing Daily Telegraph "The Inner Life of Animals will rock your world. Surprising, humbling, and filled with delight, this book shows us that animals think, feel, and know in much the same way as we do -- and that their lives are, to them, as precious as ours are to us." -- Sy Montgomery, author of THE SOUL OF AN OCTOPUS

Peter Wohlleben spent over twenty years working for the forestry commission in Germany before leaving to put his ideas of ecology into practice. He now runs an environmentally-friendly woodland in Germany, where he is working towards the return of primeval forests, as well as caring for both wild and domestic animals. Wohlleben has been celebrated for his distinctive approach to writing about nature; he brings to life groundbreaking scientific research through his observations of nature and the animals he lives amongst. He is also the author of the international bestseller The Hidden Life of Trees.

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