“Fish Sense” by Dr. Jonathan Balcombe (vegan), Part 2 of 2

“This is a phenomenon that was only discovered in the last 15 or 20 years. They look like mandalas or crop circles, and nobody knew where they came from. And it was a little puffer fish that’s been called the cream-spotted pufferfish. The reason he’s able to create such beautiful artistry is because of generations of females who are selective about what males they choose.” “Animals treasure their lives. None of them want to die. They all want to live. Science is now showing not just all vertebrate animals, but also a growing number of invertebrate animals – pain in insects and crustaceans, crabs, and intelligence in octopuses and squids and nautiluses. My hope is that will lead to protection. Because biodiversity loss is a very severe problem.”

“Wildlife makes up only about 4% of the terrestrial vertebrates on Earth today, the other 96%, humans and our livestock – the animals we raise to eat. So, us and the animals we choose to eat are a big factor in the future welfare and survival of the planet.” “I always hope that readers of my books will come away saying, ‘You know, I don’t really want to harm them, and so I don’t really want to eat them anymore.’” Dr. Balcombe now turns to his heartfelt 2021 children’s book “Jake and Ava: A Boy and a Fish,” designed to nurture empathy in young hearts. “It’s intended to validate the feelings that some sensitive kids like me had when they’re faced with fishing.”