Chimpanzees in Context

Our increased understanding of primate behavior has helped us to better understand ourselves. We are not (as was commonly believed in the early 1960s) the only species able to use and make tools, have personalities, minds, and emotions. There is, after all, no difference in kind between us and other animals. Knowing that our closest living relatives are the great apes and studying ways in which our behavior is so similar to theirs, also helps us appreciate the main difference-the explosive development of the human intellect. How strange that the most intellectual species is destroying our only home, Planet Earth. . . . It takes considerable time to study the many facets of a chimpanzee's life. But we don't have much time left if we are to do something to help the survival of our closest living relatives. Now it is time to use our intellect to start healing the harm we have inflicted, to protect the habitats of our primate relatives (along with biodiversity) before it is quite too late. -- Jane Goodall, from the foreword Anyone who wishes to be up to date on chimpanzees and bonobos needs to read this volume. A wealth of knowledge has been gathered by a new generation of enthusiastic researchers both in captivity and in the field. Topics range from social behavior and cognition to conservation and optimal care. It is rare to find so much hard-won information together in one place. -- Frans de Waal, author of Mama's Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us about Ourselves Mind-bending discoveries with far-reaching implications are abundant inside this volume. A whole community of the best and brightest scientists reveal startling new secrets about the lives of our closest animal relatives. Following in the pioneering footsteps of Jane Goodall, what they share will surprise and delight every animal lover and academic alike. If you ever wondered how much chimpanzees are like us compared to other animals, this is the book for you. -- Brian Hare, coauthor of Survival of the Friendliest: Understanding Our Origins and Rediscovering Our Common Humanity Chimpanzees in Context is a comprehensive summary of what we know about these remarkable animals and provides information that is essential in developing conservation protocols. . . . [A] forward-looking collection. -- Marc Bekoff * Chimpanzees in Context *