When Animals Rescue: Amazing True Stories about Heroic and Helpful Creatures

A Collection of True Tales of Animal Empathy and Altruism that will Inspire Us to Reflect on Our Own Human Nature

What do stories about humpback whales protecting a biologist from a shark, a pride of lions rescuing a girl from kidnappers, gorillas working together to dismantle poacher snares, a parrot warding off an attacker in a park, a chimpanzee consoling a human, and an elephant trying to rescue a baby rhino tell us about animal nature? And what might they suggest about our very own human nature?

Until just a few decades ago, there were only a few animals reported to behave empathetically and altruistically. More recently, the list of species who have been observed behaving in compassionate, helpful, and caring ways has grown exponentially, ranging from rats to elephants.

Rescued by a Whale presents dozens of astonishing and heart-warming stories about animals, such as chickens, horses, dolphins, and wolves, who engage in acts of helpful kindness. During a time in history when studies show that human empathy is decreasing, our knowledge about animal empathy is increasing. These true tales of heroism, kindness, and compassion suggest that we have far more in common with other animals than we once believed and provocatively suggest that what's best about our human natures just might be our animal natures.


About the Author
Belinda Recio is a recipient of the Humane Society's Award for Innovation in the Study of Animals and Society. She has written numerous books--including Inside Animal Hearts and Minds (Skyhorse 2017)--and has developed award-winning science curricula for educational television, museums, and children's publishers. Recio is a columnist for Organic Spa Magazine, where she writes her "State of the Ark" column on animals, and the owner of True North Gallery where she exhibits art that connects people with animals and nature. She lives in Hamilton, Massachusetts.

Mark Rowlands (D.Phil., Oxford University) is Professor of Philosophy at the University of Miami. He is the author of twenty books, translated into more than twenty-five languages. His work in ethics and moral psychology includes Animal Rights (Macmillan 1998), The Environmental Crisis (Macmillan, 2000), Animals Like Us (Verso, 2002), Can Animals be Moral? (Oxford, 2012), and Can Animals Be Persons? (Oxford, 2019). He has also written several popular books, including his memoir, The Philosopher and the Wolf, an international bestseller.