Science clearly shows that numerous nonhuman animals (animals) are sentient, feeling beings who care about their own well-being and quality of life along with that of their family and friends. For decades we’ve known that numerous animals’ inner lives are complex, rich, and deep, and a new anthology called Animals as Experiencing Entities: Theories and Historical Narratives edited by Drs. Michael J. Glover and Les Mitchell makes the inarguable case that it’s high time to use what we know on their behalf and allow them to live safely and to flourish in a shared world. I couldn't agree more with the important messages in this landmark book and here's what Michael and Les had to say about this most valuable, wide-ranging, and inclusive collection of essays.

Marc Bekoff: Why did you edit Animals as Experiencing Entities?

Michael Glover and Les Mitchell: Animal history has been evolving for the last four decades, but with a few exceptions, animals’ subjective historical experiences have not been included in animal history1. In a way, the living, feeling, sentient animals are missing in animal history. We wanted to validate animals’ experiences and remember what really happened to them. Sometimes, capturing their experiences is fragmentary and even speculative, but in other cases, it’s quite clear what type of experiences they would have had. This is because we can credibly know the context of the historical situation and also the nature of animals’ experiential capacities.

MB: How does your book relate to your background and general areas of interest?

LM: Fortunately, we have diverse academic interests and backgrounds. For me, they are life sciences, community health, education, and critical discourse analysis, especially related to the social construction of animals. I am a very keen hiker.

MG: My background is in philosophy and history. I grew up 1 km from a nature reserve with zebras, vervet monkeys, caracals, duikers, myriad birds, and many insects. So, for a long time, I’ve........

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