No Animals Were Harmed

The Controversial Line between Entertainment and Abuse

By Peter Laufer
(Lyons Press, Hardcover, 9780762763856, 272pp.)

Publication Date: October 2011

Categories: Animals

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Peter Laufer, PhD, is the award-winning author of more than a dozen books, including the widely praised The Dangerous World of Butterflies, Forbidden Creatures, and Neon Nevada (all Lyons Press), as well as Wetback Nation: The Case for Opening the Mexican-American Border.  He is the James Wallace Chair in Journalism at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication.  Visit him at peterlaufer.com.

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"A provocative examination of the fine line between the use and abuse of animals. In a continuation of his study on the interaction of animals and humans, Laufer (Journalism/Univ. of Oregon; Forbidden Creatures: Inside the World of Animal Smuggling and Exotic Pets, 2010, etc.) opens the doors to the complex world of animal service and exploitation. What is the difference between use, misuse and abuse of animals? How does a person know an animal is actually enjoying itself? Do animals feel pain? Does a chicken raised specifically for meat suffer more or less at its death than a rooster raised specifically for cock fights? Is a circus act entertainment for humans or an enslavement of animals? These are some of the many troubling questions the author poses as he travels the world searching for answers. From a lion handler in Budapest to whale shows at SeaWorld to slaughterhouses in California, Laufer graphically details firsthand the varied ways humans and animals interact. Descriptions of canned hunts, dairy-cow abuse, vivisection and many examples of cockfights force readers to ponder the same questions as the author. Interviews with members of the Humane Society, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and numerous animal-rights organizations counterbalance interviews with breeders of fighting cocks, arsonists and many others who see no harm in how they treat animals. Laufer’s compelling evidence will push readers to assess the distinctions between love and mistreatment among our animal brethren." --Kirkus

"While [Peter Laufer] provides no easy answers, for his book raises as many ethical questions as it answers, his journey through the many forms of human-animal interaction gives readers new ways to ponder their own connections with the animals around them." --Booklist

"This book asks its audience to reflect upon their own actions and, with greater awareness, perhaps some of the most blatant abuses will cease. A compelling read." --Library Journal

 

In praise of Forbidden Creatures: “Forbidden Creatures addresses an important issue with major environmental and ethical consequences—the alarming spread of animal smuggling. Let’s hope it helps stem the tide.” –Allison Chin, president, Sierra Club “This book is a wild romp through backyards and bedrooms full of exotic—sometimes dangerous—creatures. And it is an exploration of the human psyche: What drives some people to become outlaws just to satisfy their desire to subjugate nature’s other beasts? Laufer has hit another home run.”
—Mark Bauman, National Geographic Society

In praise of The Dangerous World of Butterflies: “[A] compelling, all-angles examination. . . . Laufer delivers an absorbing science lesson for fans of the colorful bugs.” --Publishers Weekly "Recommended for scientists and lay readers who enjoyed Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief." —Library Journal "Like The Orchid Thief, The Dangerous World of Butterflies takes us deep into the dark heart of obsessed collectors and the passionate activism of people working to repopulate species like the Palos Verdes blue. Worlds within worlds: Laufer, a veteran reporter on cultural and political borders, understands how these worlds cross and collide. His book is a Venn diagram of the beautiful and bizarre." --Los Angeles Times "[Laufer's] book is charming and his attention to detail, combined with a real gift for describing these fascinating characters -- like calling entomologist Arthur Shapiro "an endless litany of intriguing butterfly stories" -- made me want to read everything else he has written." --Andrew Ervin, Washington Post "...Laufer's The Dangerous World of Butterflies packs real entertainment wallop in a book filled with informed tidbits custom-designed for cocktail hour." --P. Joseph Potocki, The Bohemian "A charming . . . meditation on butterflies and the people who love them." --Kirkus "The Dangerous World of Butterflies: the Startling Subculture of Criminals, Collectors, and Conservationists by Peter Laufer is an eye-opening peek into the world of butterfly collecting. From true crime to heated debates between butterfly conservationists and butterfly farmers, this book reads like a novel." --Pittsburgh Post-Gazette