Jacqueline Pearce - What Animals Want: The Five Freedoms in Action

For everyone who dares to care

A note about language:

The words we choose can make a difference in how we think about the things were talking about. We generally use the pronoun that to talk about objectslike a chair or a hatand who to refer to people. But how do we refer to animals? In this book, Ive chosen to use who instead of that, because animals are living beings who think, feel and make choicesjust like people do. Ive also alternated between the male and female pronouns he, she, him and her, rather than using the gender-neutral it.

Text copyright Jacqueline Pearce 2021
Illustrations copyright Julie McLaughlin 2021

Published in Canada and the United States in 2021 by Orca Book Publishers.
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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system now known or to be invented, without permission in writing from the publisher.

Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication
Title: What animals want : the five freedoms in action / Jacqueline Pearce ; illustrated by Julie McLaughlin.
Names: Pearce, Jacqueline, 1962 author. | McLaughlin, Julie, 1984 illustrator.
Description: Series statement: Orca think; 3 | Includes bibliographical references and index.
Identifiers: Canadiana (print) 20210096470 | Canadiana (ebook) 20210096683 |
isbn 9781459825659 (hardcover) | isbn 9781459825666 ( pdf ) | isbn 9781459825673 ( epub )
Subjects: lcsh : Animal welfareJuvenile literature.
Classification: lcc hv 4708 . p 43 2021 | ddc j636.08/32dc23

Library of Congress Control Number: 2020951481

Summary: Part of the nonfiction Orca Think series, this book gives young readers the tools to think about the physical, social and emotional needs of pets, farm animals and wild animals using the Five Freedoms.

Orca Book Publishers is committed to reducing the consumption of nonrenewable resources in the making of our books. We make every effort to use materials that support a sustainable future.

Orca Book Publishers gratefully acknowledges the support for its publishing programs provided by the following agencies: the Government of Canada, the Canada Council for the Arts and the Province of British Columbia through the BC Arts Council and the Book Publishing Tax Credit.

The author and publisher have made every effort to ensure that the information in this book was correct at the time of publication. The author and publisher do not assume any liability for any loss, damage, or disruption caused by errors or omissions. Every effort has been made to trace copyright holders and to obtain their permission for the use of copyrighted material. The publisher apologizes for any errors or omissions and would be grateful if notified of any corrections that should be incorporated in future reprints or editions of this book.

Cover and interior artwork by Julie McLaughlin
Edited by Kirstie Hudson
Design by Rachel Page

Printed and bound in South Korea.

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Animals are an important part of our lives.

marieclaudelemay/Getty Images

Have you ever walked a dog, petted a cat or fed a carrot to a guinea pig? Maybe youve ridden a horse or milked a cow. Perhaps youve seen exotic animals like elephants or tigers in a zoo, or tropical fish in an aquarium. Maybe youve heard an owl hoot or watched bats chasing bugs across the summer sky. Animals can be good company and fun to watch. Whether they live in our homes, our cities, on farms or in forests, deserts or oceans, animals are an important part of our world. And they make it a more interesting place to live. If youre like me, you care about your family and your community. You want everyone to have a good, happy, healthy life. And that means animals too.

When I was about 10 years old, a stray kitten wandered into our yard and made herself at home. From that time on, animals have been important to mefrom pet cats, dogs, gerbils, guinea pigs and even a couple of rats to the wild birds, squirrels and coyotes who share my city. A tail wag from a friendly dog always raises my spirits. So does the song of a wild bird or the face of a raccoon peering down from a tree. The world would be a lonely place without the nonhuman animals around us.

Ancient rock paintings, like these ones in Loy Canyon, AZ, show the close relationships people have had with animals for millennia.

sassy1902/Getty Images

Did you know?

The Five Freedoms Checklist

Freedom from hunger and thirst

Freedom from pain, injury and disease

Freedom from distress

Freedom from discomfort

Freedom to express behaviors that promote well-being

For thousands of years, people have relied on animalsfor food, clothing, help and companionship. Animals have provided meat, milk, fur and wool. Theyve guarded peoples homes, helped with hunting and herded sheep. Theyve pulled plows, wagons and sleds, and theyve carried people and belongings on their backs. They have also been loyal, loving companions. Animals have been part of our stories and myths going back to the earliest times, when our ancestors painted images of them on the walls of caves. Today animals play major roles in some of our most loved books and movies, from Peter Rabbit to The Lion King.

Yet people havent always treated animals kindly.

How people act toward animals has varied at different times in history and in different places around the world. In some places in the past, people considered animals important and magical. In other times and places, people valued animals only for their usefulness. As societies change and awareness grows, attitudes and behaviors also shift. Today pets are part of many peoples families, and most societies around the world believe that people have a responsibility to take good care of the animals we live with. This includes pets, farm animals, zoo animals and our wild animal neighbors.

True or False?

Its against the law to hurt an animal.

This is true in many countries. The first animal welfare law was created in England in 1822. People were becoming concerned about the hard lives of working animalsespecially horses in cities and ponies working underground in coal mines.