I find TED Talks so inspirational and powerful; don’t you? I think what I like best (besides the amazing speakers) is that I learn something new each and every time I watch one. (Sometimes they even blow my mind!) So in case you haven’t seen these particular lectures yet, here are four of my favorite TED Talks for animal lovers:
1. Ian Dunbar: Dog-friendly dog training Veterinarian, dog trainer and animal behaviorist Ian Dunbar says, “When we train, we always try to take in the dog’s point of view.” Dunbar’s passionate about stopping the disrespect and abuse of dogs at the hands of owners with “horrendous interaction skills” who make terrible mistakes when attempting to train them. The talk, which starts out with helpful dog-training tips, eventually segues into the idea that humans and dogs aren’t so different after all—that the respect, love and patience you should give an animal to “train” them can also be used when raising children and managing the important relationships in your life.
2. Jane Goodall: How humans and animals can live together I’ve shared before that iconic chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall is my hero. It is so interesting here to hear her talk about how her community projects—such as TACARE (Take Care), which helps people in African villages develop empowerment and improve their standard of living—actually end up helping habitats and conservation efforts, too. She also discusses the planet’s environmental problems, but makes it clear she has so much hope for nature, humanity and endangered species. Goodall says, “We are part of, and not separated from, the amazing animals with whom we share the planet.”
3. Denise Herzing: Could we speak the language of dolphins? I absolutely love dolphins and am fascinated by their intelligence and social nature. Denise Herzing studies dolphin communication in the wild, and in her TED Talk, she reveals her promising research as she works to see if there’s a way for humans and dolphins to interact with each other using language. She shares great footage of these beautiful creatures and gives viewers a closer look at her experiments. She says, “Imagine what it would be like to really understand the mind of another intelligent species on the planet.”
4. Robert Full: Learning from the gecko’s tail Lizards are cool—and UC Berkeley biologist Robert Full shares how studying geckos and collaborating with other fields, like engineering, is leading to innovative technologies. (The high-speech footage of geckos alone is worth a watch.) He also points to the importance of conservation: “We must preserve nature’s designs, otherwise these secrets will be lost forever.”
What TED talks inspire you?