#371 Marc Bekoff: Ethology and Animal Conservation

RECORDED ON JULY 17th, 2020.
Dr. Marc Bekoff is professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, and co-founder with Jane Goodall of Ethologists for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. He has won many awards for his scientific research including the Exemplar Award from the Animal Behavior Society and a Guggenheim Fellowship. In 2005, Dr. Bekoff was presented with The Bank One Faculty Community Service Award for the work he has done with children, senior citizens, and prisoners and in 2009 he was presented with the St. Francis of Assisi Award by the New Zealand SPCA. In 1986 He became the first American to win his age-class at the Tour du Haut Var bicycle race (also called the Master’s/age-graded Tour de France). Dr. Bekoff has published numerous essays (popular, scientific, and book chapters), 31 books, and has edited three encyclopedias.

In this episode, we talk about animal conservation. We first set a theoretical framework, about animal minds, cognitive ethology, individual variation, anthropomorphism and intentionality, and play behavior. We then get into the meat of animal conservation, particularly its compassionate version.