A new relationship with animals, nature and each other.

Posts by Michael Mountain

  • Introducing the Whale Sanctuary Project

    This blog is taking a break for the next few months so that I can devote my energies to the Whale Sanctuary Project. Here's why.

  • Is the Sloth Sanctuary a Zoo?

    The Sloth Sanctuary in Costa Rica was the first of its kind for these wonderfully engaging animals, and it was a model for others that followed. But questions have arisen. And…

  • Tafi Atome Monkey Sanctuary

    Tafi Atome looks like a typical forest in Ghana. The monkeys have been revered in this village for two centuries. But being “sacred” is no guarantee of survival.

  • The Great Irony of Animal “Rights”

    The great irony of the animal rights movement is there is still only one species that has any rights at all: humans. But the Nonhuman Rights Project is setting out to change that.

  • Why Mass Extinction Is Part of Human Nature

    Why would a supposedly “intelligent” species behave in a way that’s bringing about a mass extinction – one that will likely take us down along with so many other animals?

    The Worm at the Core

    Psychologist Sheldon Solomon explains Terror Management Theory – the study how we manage the lifelong anxiety that’s born of our terror of death – and how it affects our behavior toward other animals.

    How We “View” Other Animals

    How we “view” other animals (from a position of privilege and exploitation), and how our behavior toward them and toward the planet has led to an irreversible, mass extinction.

    Companionship Across the Abyss

    Is there a hidden meaning behind the story of Adam and Eve and the Serpent? Jonathan Crane explains what it may be telling us about our relationship to our fellow animals … and how it could have been otherwise.

    The State of Planet Earth Today

    In his overview of the state of Planet Earth today, Carl Safina begins by asking the seemingly unrelated question: “Does my dog really love me? Or does she just want a treat?”