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As a kid, I spent as much time outdoors as possible. Even at age 3, I rode my tricycle along Brooklyn sidewalks, eager to encounter all the dogs, birds, squirrels, and ants who shared our neighborhood. My parents told me I was constantly “minding animals”—conversations that resulted many decades later in a book of the same title. Later, I understood this to mean two things: I attributed minds and emotions to animals, and I was concerned with how they were treated. As a youngster, my fascination with animals continued in the woods of Long Island. I could feel their emotions as I soaked in their dogness, frogness, and fishness. On these forays into nature, I fostered my own empathy and compassion; it felt natural to imagine the points of view of different animals. I think that’s true for most children.
These youthful explorations led me to become a field ethologist. Not only did I want to observe animals as a career, but I also wanted to prove through research that what I intuitively knew as a young person was true—that nonhuman animals are sentient beings, are aware, and experience rich inner lives of their own. Of course, now we know this because of an enormous amount of research. But we didn’t then. And this knowledge must influence how we, as individuals and as a society, care for and interact with animals.
That’s the premise of Love in Their Hearts: A Celebration of Animal Emotions and a Guide to Compassionate Action, which I cowrote with young-adult author Jeff Campbell. Through science and stories, I want to inspire readers, especially young people, with the rich emotional lives of animals, to show the importance of emotions for all beings, and to spark a compassionate desire to improve the lives of animals whenever we can. Animal emotions matter. Their emotions absolutely matter to them, and they matter to us.
Emotional intelligence can save your life
Observing and respecting animal emotions improves our emotional intelligence. It trains us to suss out what might be going on inside any being—human and nonhuman. Emotional intelligence is a key life skill, one that many educators teach. In fact, nonhuman animals are excellent teachers. Many animals are intelligent about emotions and demonstrate an incredible ability to read others. They also demonstrate tremendous compassion.
For instance, I share the story of Jethro, an adopted dog who was my companion for 23 years. Jethro once arrived whining at the front door with a creature in his mouth, only to belch out a very young, very wet bunny. I couldn’t see any injuries. It was a small bundle of fur that had been abandoned by the mother and now needed care, food, and love. Jethro looked up, wide-eyed and standing tall, clearly proud of his compassionate self, his entire being urging: Come on, do something.
For two weeks, we nursed Bunny (as I named her, very original) back to health, and the entire time, Jethro wouldn’t leave her side. I was afraid he might harm her, but he only protected and adopted her as his friend. When we finally released Bunny, she hid in a woodpile for an hour before hopping away, and for months after, Jethro kept returning to the woodpile, as if hoping to see his friend again.
Another story embodies a different lesson. Orca trainer John Hargrove once started a training session with Freya, the matriarch of the killer whales within the sea-life park. But Freya was angry—Hargrove could see it in her eyes and manner—and she aggressively trapped Hargrove in the center of the pool, threatened to hit him with her fluke, and started mouthing and briefly holding him underwater. Hargrove knew, even if Freya was only sending a message, he could easily drown before she stopped. Swimming away might provoke worse aggression. Instead, Hargrove engaged Freya in training maneuvers, and then he escaped.
Later, reflecting on Freya’s recent behavior, Hargrove realized she’d felt disrespected. He had prioritized other orcas in training, which she resented, and he knew, from then on, he had to treat her with the deference her rank as matriarch demanded. Afterward, Hargrove and Freya trained together amicably for years, with no more aggressive episodes—because he understood and respected her emotions and point of view.
Humane education and the impact of Jane Goodall: “Jane Magic”
It is essential to remember Jane Goodall’s tireless efforts to help all beings. She led a life of science, hope, humanitarianism, and peace. People worldwide call Jane’s global impact “Jane Magic.” Before she died in October 2025, Jane Goodall wrote the foreword for Love in Their Hearts. She was a dear friend, and we co-wrote books (including the forthcoming children’s book Every Elephant Has a Name, due in 2027). In addition, I was, and still am, an ambassador for Roots and Shoots, the youth action program Jane founded in 1991. There are Roots and Shoots groups in 75 countries that educate children of all ages about animals, people, and the environment, and empower them to take action in their communities.
