Animals and Human Society

Animals and Human Society provides a solid, scientific, research-based background to advance understanding of how animals impact humans. As a resource for both science and non-science majors (including students planning to major in or studying animal science, pre-veterinary medicine, animal behavior, conservation biology, ecotoxicology, epidemiology and evolutionary biology), the book can be used as a text for courses in Animals and Human Society or Animal Science, or as supplemental material for an Introduction to Animal Science. The book offers foundational background to those who may have little background in animal agriculture and have focused interest on companion animals and horses.

Animals have had profound effects on people from the earliest times, ranging from zoonotic diseases, to the global impact of livestock, poultry and fish production, to the influences of human-associated animals on the environment (on extinctions, air and water pollution, greenhouse gases, etc.), to the importance of animals in human evolution and hunter-gatherer communities.

The volume introduces livestock production (including poultry and aquaculture) but also includes coverage of companion and lab animals. In addition, animal behavior and animal perception are covered. It can also function as a reference or recommended reading for a capstone class on ethical and public policy aspects related to animals. This book is likewise an excellent resource for researchers, academics or students newly entering a related field or coming from another discipline and needing foundational information, as well as interested laypersons looking to augment their knowledge on the many impacts of animals in human society.

Features research-based and pedagogically sound content, with learning goals and textboxes to provide key informationChallenges readers to consider issues based on facts rather than polemicsPoses ethical questions and raises overall societal impactsBalances traditional animal science with companion animals, animal biology, zoonotic diseases, animal products, environmental impacts and all aspects of human/animal interactionIncludes access to PowerPoints that facilitate easy adoption and/or use for online classes

1. Animal perception – differences with those of people 2. Animal attributes exploited by humans 3. Animal products and human nutrition 4. Animals and human development 5. Hunter gatherers 6. The Neolithic Revolution 7. Domestic agricultural animals 7.a. Impact of livestock globally to alleviating hunger 7.b. The impact of animal genetics 7.c. The impact of animal feeds 7.d. Sustainable livestock production 8. Non-vertebrates 9. Animals in the military 10. Animals in entertainment and sport 10.e. The impact of horse 10.f. The economic impact of horses in the USA 11. Animals in religion, culture and mythology 12. Animals as companions 13. Animals in medicine and research 13.g. Animal experimentation 14. Zoonoses and allergies 15. Pests 16. Parasites 17. Invasive and Introduced Species 18. Impact of Agricultural Animals on the Environment 19. Habitat Destruction 19.h. Animal waste 19.i. Wildlife and environmental pollution 19.j. Human wildlife conflicts 20. Animal welfare vs Animal rights 21. Animal extinctions