Lessons from the Wild: What Wildlife Conservation Teaches Us

Melanie Mikecz

The animal kingdom also has ways to show thankfulness, it’s not just an emotion reserved for humans.

It’s proven that primates and cetaceans (whales, dolphins, porpoises) have emotional awareness. Some researchers have found evidence of social bonding behaviours, showing complex social structures.

Examples of animal gratitude witnessed include:

• A lioness (freed from a trap) later brought her cubs, to visit the person who rescued her.
• A dolphin trapped in fishing net, approached a diver who quickly freed the gentle creature. Instead of swimming away immediately, the dolphin lingered, circling the diver as a kind of ‘thank you dance’ beneath the waves.
• A herd of elephants knew how to thank the humans, who saved one of their calves. They erupted into a ‘chorus of woos’ with raised trunks.
• An octopus in Egypt was rescued from sand, by some holidaymakers. The next day they returned, and the same octopus followed them for hours along the beach waves!
• This baby seal was rescued by South Africans, who caught it to release it from fishing net. Usually they would run away, but the seal stopped for a few seconds to look back, as if to say thank you.

Be thankful every day (simple daily rituals)

You don’t need to buy ‘gratitude journals’. But it’s good to take time each day to be thankful for the day. Just being alive is a miracle, as is having a pair of working feet, and your smile. A quiet thank-you can make the day start right.

Gratitude simply means you can focus more on the good. Nobody likes people who complain all the time, it brings both them and you down. And it’s known that truly happy people, are usually those who are most thankful.

Keeping your body healthy is an expression of gratitude to the whole cosmos – the trees, the clouds, everything. Eat with gratitude. And when you put the piece of bread into your mouth, chew only your bread and not your projects, worries, fears or anger. Thich Nhat Hahn

Many people don’t like rainy weather, and start complaining of grey skies, late buses and wet shoes. But those of us who love the rain think it’s wonderful to warm your hands around a hot cup of tea or coffee, and enjoy the quiet tap of rain on the window. And rain grows grass and trees! The weather does not change. Your experience does.

Morning rituals to kickstart your day

When you wake up, appreciate the morning. Notice nature outside your window, or hear a birdsong greet the day. Take 10 minutes with a cuppa and thank God with morning prayer. Thank the bus driver on the way to work. Nod to the person who holds open a door or holds the lift for you at the office.

How John discovered the secret of life!

John Kralik wrote a book called A Simple Act of Gratitude. His story is very interesting. Some years ago, he was a lawyer, who dreamed of being a judge in his American town. But life was not being kind. He was recently divorced, and estranged from an adult child. He was overweight and depressed. He lived in a tiny apartment that was freezing in winter. His business was failing. And his girlfriend had just left him.

So on New Year’s Eve (inspired by a small thank-you note that his ex-girlfriend had sent after he sent her a gift), he decided to write a thank-you note to one person from his entire life, every day for a year.

At first it was easy. He wrote thank-you notes to family and friends, then others around him. Of course it was not long before he was having to think back to shop assistants who were nice to him, or people he hardly knew, who once did something kind.

The moral by the way of this book is that you don’t always have to physically send the letters. Just writing them may be enough for the same benefits.

Anyway, the miracle was – within weeks, John’s life started to turn around. His relationships improved. His child got back in touch. He lost weight and felt much better. He was given back money he owed. And while a national crisis caused the bank opposite him to cave, his own little business began to thrive.

John feels that he had accidently discovered the secret of life. Which is why he wrote the book, to share his findings with others!

I turned to walk deeper into the mountains. I meandered the back paths. then I took a wrong turn, lost the path and became completely lost. I had no company that day, but the inner voice that kept saying ‘loser’. There was no-one I wanted to ask on that walk, who wanted to come with me.

My desires and faults had left me solitary, at middle age. It was New Year. There was new growth all around. It was time to make new resolutions. It was time to change. John Kralik

Eavesdropping on Animals is a book by a Yellowstone wildlife ecologist, who shares fascinating stories and insights on how to tap into animal sounds, and decode the secret conversations happening all around you.

Whereas humans once relied on the calls of wild animals to understand the natural world (and their place in it) now this remarkable guide reveals what our ancestors knew long ago: that animal sounds can tell us important information, and help us feel connected to the wild community.

The book also includes information and advice for readers living in urban and suburban areas, not just in rural villages. You can listen and observe wildlife in your own backyard, or in local parks, fields and forests. This book can lead to extraordinary experiences and a profound sense of belonging.

Are you ready to listen to your wild neighbours? Are you ready to learn how to tell a warning call from a mating call, or a purr of satisfaction from idle chatter? Then this book is for you!

George Bumann is an animal language expert, artist and naturalist who lives at the entrance to Yellowstone National Park. He has 40 years of experience in wildlife ecology, and knows most of his wild neighbours!

I’ve spent my entire life listening to the natural world. And after reading George’s book, I realise I wasn’t really listening at all. Jack Horner

Why Animals Talk (the science of communication)

Why Animals Talk is a beautiful journey into the world of animal communication, from the majestic howls of wolves to the enchanting chatter of wild parrots, melodic clicks of dolphins to spirited grunts of chimpanzees!

These diverse and often bizarre expressions are more than mere noise. They hold secrets that we are only just beginning to understand.

For example:

• Wolves (just like humans) possess unique accents that distinguish their howls.
• Gibbons have different alarm calls (for leopards or snakes). And also sing romantic duets with their partners!
• Dolphins not only give themselves names, but respond excitedly to recordings of the whistles of long-lost companions.

In each chapter (and by animal), the author draws on extensive research and observations of animals in the wild, to explain why animals communication.

This also offers revealing insight into human language, and how it differs from the entire animal kingdom.

Dr Arik Kershenbaum is a world expert in animal vocal communication, and has roamed the wilds of Europe, North America, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, in order to understand it.

He is a college lecturer and fellow at Girton College (University of Cambridge) and has published over 30 academic publications.

The Voices of Nature (meanings of animal sound)

The Voices of Nature is a fascinating book, look at the meanings of animal sound:

• Songs
• Barks
• Roars
• Hoots
• Squeals
• Growls

What is the meaning of birdsong, a baboon’s bark, an owl’s hoot or a dolphin’s clicks? In this book, you’ll find out!

Readers will journey from the steamy heat of the Amazon jungle to the icy terrain of the Arctic, to reveal the amazing variety of animal communication.

Learn who different species use sound to:

• Express emotion
• Choose a mate
• Trick others!
• Mark their territory
• Call for help

What may seem like random chirps and squawks actually allows animals (just like us) to carry on conversations with others.

The author explains how animals make and hear sounds, and what information is encoded in such signals of sound. He also explains how sound travels underwater (think of whale song travelling miles across the ocean).

An immersive sonic journey, led by a tour guide with extensive knowledge of the subject. Leon Vlieger (biologist)

There’s no-one better to tell us how diverse animals talk with one another. His enthusiasm is contagious. Marc Bekoff (animal psychology expert)

Nicolas Mathevon is a professor of neuroscience and animal behaviour at University of Saint-Étienne, France.

The Wild Languages of Mother Nature

Wild Languages of Mother Nature is a beautifully illustrated book for children, featuring 48 stories on how animals and plants communicate in very creative ways. Mother Nature has devised so many beautiful and surprising ways to share information.

Nature can be marvellously noisy (with birds singing, bears roaring, frogs croaking and kangaroos stomping). But many creatures and plants communicate through other less vocal methods.

In this book, meet noisy and not-so-noisy communicators:

• Bees who ‘waggle dance’ to explain pollen routes
• Rhinos who leave messages, with their dung
• African elephants (who send vibrating messages)
• Demon mole rats (who communicate by headbutting!)
• Ravens who use silent sign language
• Ants who leave hormone trails
• Pufferfish who use artistic displays
• How chimpanzees use touch to talk
• How humpback whales communicate by song
• Trees who use underground fungal networks

The stories also delve into why wildlife communications, to share information within their pack, flock or herd. Or to win the affections or attention of a mate, or to scare off predators and rivals.

A wealth of information is woven into the stories, to ensure readers are left with more knowledge and wonder for the wide world. From huge mammals to tiny insects to plants.

Some plants send out smelly signals to call for help. Others repel with a stink or lure with perfume. Squid skin changes colour to hide or woo. Mosquitoes duet, fruit flies learn dialects and tiny pufferfish create underwater masterpieces.

Did you think humans were the only beings on earth to speak? Welcome to the wild and wonderful language of Mother Nature!

Mammal Stories

• Human
• Kangaroo
• Chimpanzee
• White rhinoceros
• Humpback whale
• African wild dog
• African elephant
• African demon mole rat
• Egyptian fruit bat
• Prairie dog
• Black bear
• Gorilla
• Drongo & Meerkat
• European bison
• Hippopotamus
• Tarsier
• Koala
• Grey squirrel

Bird Stories

• Crested pigeon
• Raven
• Blue-capped cordon bleu bird
• Peruvian warbling antbird
• Jackdaw

Fish Stories

• Mantis shrimp
• White-spotted pufferfish
• Caribbean reef squad
• Electric eel

Reptile & Amphibian Stories

• Grass snake
• Sea turtle
• Brazilian torrent frog
• Insect stories
• Fruit fly
• Mosquito
• Ant
• Blue butterfly caterpillar
• Honeybee
• Deathwatch beetle
• Cicada
• Tiger moth and Hawkmoth
• Treehopper

Plant and Fungi Stories

• Grass
• Sea rocket
• Pitcher plant
• Sagebrush
• The ‘forest’ & the wood wide web
• Black walnut
• Camphor tree
• Cordyceps fungus
• Split gill fungus

 

Animal BFFs (even animals have best friends!)

Animal BFFs is a fun illustrated book, teaching young readers who creatures in the wild kingdom also have best friends, often to help each other out. Someone who’s always there for them through thick and thin, to help them out with all the usual things that friends do.

You know like – picking ticks off your back, or letting you know when a lion is about to make you its dinner, or helping you to hunt down some tasty prey.

The animal kingdom is full of odd couples, that prove that sometimes it’s better to be together:

• Ostriches and zebras
• Grey wolves and striped hyenas
• Egrets and water buffaloes
• Grouper fish and octopuses
• Warthogs and banded mongooses
• Oxpeckers and big mammals
• Goby fish and pistol shrimp
• (some) frogs and tarantulas
• Capybaras and wattled jacanas
• Remora fish and sharks
• Sea anemones and hermit crabs
• Elephants and baboons
• Caimans and butterflies
• Cleaner fish and ocean creatures
• Coyotes and (some) badgers
• Crocodiles and plovers
• Sloths and sloth moths
• Marine iguanas and lava lizards
• Anemones and clownfish
• Sally Lightfoot crabs and sea lions
• Deer and turkeys
• Squirrels and songbirds
• Golden jackals and tigers
• Burrowing owls and rattlesnakes
• Bushveld lizards and oogpister beetles
• Arctic foxes and caribou
• Beavers and frogs
• Atlantic puffins and rabbits
• Hoverflies and wasps
• Hermit crabs and sea snails

Sophie Corrigan is an illustrator and writer from Lancashire, who has a first class degree in illustration. When not drawing and painting, she enjoys going to shows, watching nature programmes and eating vegan food.

Nature’s Remarkable Partners is a fun book for young readers and two voices, peeking into mutually beneficially partnerships in nature – from butterflies and milkweed, to clownfish and anemones.

Children will enjoy poems that teach about the egg-laying carrion beetle and its hitchhiking mite passengers, and the little goby fish (that guards the pistol shrimp from predators, in exchange for a safe haven).

Brief science notes accompany each featured partnership, with back matter offering more opportunities for study.

To Have or to Hold (nature’s hidden relationships)

To Have or to Hold is a thrilling exploration of nature’s relationships, nominated for the Wainwright Prize. Learn about eight symbiotic relationships, trying to survive climate and biodiversity crises, to regulate ecosystems and strengthen resilience.

What can nature teach us, about living together?  These relationships don’t happen by accident, there are dynamics involves. Species form (and sever) relationships everywhere, from temperate rainforests to the open ocean, and from quiet tidal pools to chalk grasslands.

In this book, Sophie travels (using low-carbon methods) around the British Isles to relish the inter-connectedness between species, and sharing some of their tales. A call to avoid exploiting nature’s resources, instead to love and cherish what remains, to shape a more restorative life alongside nature.

This miraculous book blindsided me. I raced through its pages as though reading a beautifully written thriller, while learning so much about things I never knew existed. Joanna Lumley

From mint-sauce worms (they are bright green due to algae!) to tree lungwort (toxic to pets), this is a glorious guide to coupling in the animal, plant and fungal kingdoms. Guy Shrubsole

She is one of the best nature writers of our time, her ability to make readers giggle and feel empowered and motivated to do something, is like no other. This is an absolute masterpiece. Megan McCubbin

Sophie Pavelle is a US-born science communicator who now lives here. She has done a lot of good work for wildlife (especially beavers) and her writing appears in many newspapers and magazines.

The Internet of Animals is an illuminating account of the untapped knowledge of the animal kingdom, from animal migration to how elephants can detect tsunamis. What do animals know that we don’t?

In this book, scientist Martin Wikelski argues that animals have a unique ‘sixth sense’. If we give animals a voice, our perception of the world could change forever.

As they tag animals around the world with tiny tracking devices and link their movements to the International Space Station, this taps into the ‘internet of animals’, an astonishing network of information made up of thousands of creatures communicating with each other and their environments.

This project ICARUS is poised to change the world. We learn how barnyard animals become restless when earthquakes are imminent, African animals sense when poachers are on the move and frigatebards in South America depart before hurricanes arrive.

We also now know that animal migrations are not triggered by genes encoded in DNA but by elaborate cultures. By learning from them, we can better prepare for earthquakes, floods and hurricanes – and also learn to live alongside animals in harmony.

Martin Wikelsi is director of the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour and honorary professor of ornithology at University of Konstanz.

Melanie Mikecz

Many creatures can teach us so much about to raise children!

Walruses

Females often forming a shield around young calves in the water. They don’t have human arms, so use their flippers to hold offspring close! They even adopt orphans, if youngsters lose their parents. They will even fight polar bears, to defend their young.

Domestic Cats

They let their young roam and take risks, giving kittens room to explore. The mother may watch from nearby but rarely intervenes unless trouble appears. Sometimes stepping back gives children the space they need, to grow stronger and more independent.

Lions

Lionesses often team up, sharing feeding and protecting duties. While mothers are there for cubs, the pride works as a group to defend against threats and bring home food. This teamwork shows the value of group support, trust and shared responsibility in raising children. Relying on community makes tough times easier.

Eagles

These birds of prey bring strong safe nests high above ground. As eagles mature, the parents nudge them out of the nest, when the time is right. This blend of guidance and gentle pressure helps young eagles learn to survive. Parents can learn to support children with protection, then step back so they find their wings.

Beavers

These large rodents work side by side to create lodges and dams. Parents teach young beavers the skills they need to build safe homes, and gather food. Showing hands-on learning, builds strong foundations for the future.

Emperor Penguins

They team up to raise chicks in freezing weather. After the mother lays her egg, the father keeps it warm, often for months, while she returns to sea to feed. Later, both parents share the work of feeding and keeping the chick safe. Shared roles and support teach the power of working together, even when conditions are tough.

Wolves

They look after each pup as a group. Older siblings or “aunts” and “uncles” help the main pair by feeding, playing, and protecting the pups. This all-in approach means every young wolf gets attention and help from more than just the biological parents. People see a model of extended family care and deep social bonds.

Elephants

Female elephants form tight groups called herds, led by a matriarch. Mothers, aunts, and older siblings all pitch in to watch over new calves. If a young elephant wanders too far or needs comfort, any member will respond. Youngsters learn the rules and get guidance, surrounded by support and wisdom.

Albatrosses

Chicks are raised by two mothers. These pairs form strong bonds and share all parenting tasks. They keep the chick warm, feed it, and ward off threats. This cooperative parenting model shows that love and commitment, not just biology, can create a strong family unit.

Emus

Male emus take parenting into their own hands. After the female lays her eggs, the male incubates them, rarely leaving the nest for weeks. Once the chicks hatch, dad leads them for months, teaching and protecting them until they’re ready on their own. He proves that dads play a key role in nurturing and guiding children.

Whales & Orcas: Never Forget Your Mother!

Melanie Mikecz

Whales raise their young in matrilineal pods, so calves learn vital skills like communication and hunting. The mothers often push their calves to the surface to breathe, as whales have long periods of dependency. Even longer with orcas (killer whales) who stay with mum for the rest of their lives. Cute!

Mother, Creature, Kin is a series of essays about the natural world, asking what other-than-human creatures can teach us about mothering, belonging, caregiving, loss and resilience. What can be learn from the plants and creatures, who mother at the edges of their world’s unravelling?

Becoming a mother in this time, means bringing life into a world that appears to be coming undone. Drawing upon ecology, mythology and her own experiences as a new mother, the author confronts what it means to ‘mother’: to do the good work of being in service to the living world.

What if we could mother the places we live, and the beings with whom we share those places? And what if they also mother us?

In beautiful prose combined with a knowledge of ecology, she writes of the silent flight of barn owls, of nursing whales, of forests, tidal marshes, ancient single-sell organisms and newly-planted gardens.

I set out to write this book, because my daughter was born into a world that is unravelling. And because there are fewer than 350 North Atlantic right whales left. And because there are single-cell organisms dwelling in the peat of salt marshes that are utterly mysterious. And because that peat is, in many places, eroding away and washing out to sea.

Rooted in wonder while never shying away from loss, this book reaches toward a language of inclusive care learned from creatures living at the brink. Despair and fear will not save the world any more than they will raise our children, and while we don’t know what the future holds, we know it will need mothers.

This is a heartachingly beautiful, deeply life-altering book, one I will be placing into the hands of many mothers, creatures, and kin. There is grace here, and hope, and the light we need to guide us onward. A book for these times. Kerri ni´ Dochartaigh

The author invites us to understand mothering in a larger sense, as caring for all creatures – for birds and whales, trees and grasses, the entire web of life. Scott Russell Sanders

Chelsea Steinauer-Scudder has a masters of theological studies from Harvard Divinity School and writes for Emergence Magazine, a magazine exploring ecology, culture, and spirituality. She grew up in the Great Plains of Nebraska and Oklahoma, and now lives in New England, USA.