In the earliest part of American history, animals were often perceived as tools.
Horses were meant for pulling or carrying. Cattle, for meat or leather. Even the creatures we treasure as pets today were kept around for hunting mice and moose, and that bothered Henry Bergh. He’d seen too many exhausted horses flogged to death on New York streets by frustrated humans and he knew that laws were lax or nonexistent so in 1866, he formed America’s first animal protection organization.
It took time to change minds, though: new local laws meant new ways of perceiving animals as living beings, rather than as equipment. The enforcement of such laws was helped along by social pressure aimed at animal abusers, meant to stop their violent actions, and the sentiment spread: in 1872, Congress passed a law to make railroad cars for cattle more humane. Other influential activists joined Bergh in his work to change the way animals were treated in America and over time, animal protection societies sprung up all over the U.S. to protect all creatures. By extension, those societies helped clean up the environment: when horses weren’t abused on the streets, fewer of them died on the sidewalks.
But neither Bergh nor his contemporaries stopped with horses, pigs, or cattle. Pets enjoyed new household status and medical schools started using fewer live animals to train new physicians. Attitudes toward animals-as-entertainment changed, including the lives of circus elephants and racehorses. And in 1874, Bergh saw a need that hadn’t been addressed., which was about the time when his SPCA lobbied to be able to protect children, too…
Here’s a warning about “Our Kindred Creatures”: you’ll find a lot of things in here that are hard-to-read, specifically, details on abused, killed, hurt, and dead animals. You’ll wince. You’ll want to look away. Trust.
Be brave, though, and you’ll find a well-packed story of animals, activism, and attitude catching fire. Authors Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy don’t candy-coat this story but they do speak directly to animal lovers with this book, starting the tale early in our nation’s history, moving it toward a subject-within-a-subject. Once you reach the last pages, then, the authors ask you to think further ahead. Can we do even better?
To most readers, the answer will lie in the bulk of this book, as the process from kennel and barn to king-sized bed is presented with support from other parts of history to make a fine story with a few good jaw-droppers included. If you’re an animal lover, all you need to know is that “Our Kindred Creatures” is a book you’ll make room for.