What is anthrozoology? That is a question myself and my peers get asked all the time. My short answer is that anthrozoology is the study of human and animal relations. My slightly longer answer is that anthrozoology is the systematic study of the ways in which humans relate to and think about members other species, and vice versa. But the more important question is, what should anthrozoology be about?

I subscribe to EASE’s notion of anthrozoology as symbiotic ethics and consider all animals to be ethically significant beings. I believe the lives of these beings are infinitely more important than any research project, career ambition, or the acquisition of knowledge. While critical animal studies and scholarly activism play an important role in advancing anthrozoological scholarship and driving social change, not everyone needs to be an animal rights activist. Scholars who are supportive or sympathetic towards animal farming, entertainment, and sports involving non-human animals should not feel alienated. Excluding those who care about animal welfare but do not follow an abolitionist or vegan philosophy would do the field and the animals an injustice. However, I believe anthrozoology should strive towards improving animal lives in some way. If it focuses solely or primarily on human interests then it is not anthrozoology.

I am an academic because I love doing research projects and writing papers. I am an anthrozoologist because I want to improve the lives of animals, including humans who care for non-human animals. The former is rife with the pitfalls of human egos, ambitions, politics, and limited funding opportunities. Academia fosters unhealthy competition, but anthrozoologists need to work together to promote important scholarship, engage with non-academics, and advocate for the non-human animals.

The animals should always come first!