Search Results

Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

“A Dog Handler Is not a Specialized VAB Mechanic!” To Be a Human–Dog Team Conducting Olfactory Search in the French Military

Stephanie Michenaud , Dalila Bovet , Thierry Lamour , Vanessa Laguette

Language: EN | Published: 23-06-2025 | Abstract | pp. 1-28

This study aims to investigate the relationships and interactions within French military human–canine teams conducting olfactory searches. A thematic content analysis has been carried out based on 16 interviews with handlers from the French Army. Three themes are presented, focusing on 1) canine handler, a distinct specialty; 2) missions, as the real-world for the military canine team; 3) training dogs. The relationships and interactions between humans and dogs within canine teams are partly shaped by the context of the missions, by the military institution, as well as by the particularities of dyad members. Degraded environments, risks, and death are essential determinants in the preparation and implementation of canine teams, as well as in the relationships established within the partnership.

2025-06-23



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

The modus of the attitude towards the psychological problematic of Human‑Animal Interaction as a marker of personal maturity

Galina Shookova

Language: RU | Published: 24-12-2016 | Abstract | pp. 97-105

Today the psychology of human-animal interaction is a rapidly developing field of psychological research in western countries. In Russia there are some isolated works on psychological aspects of interspecies communication between humans and animals but these have not formed a separate research field so far. In order to analyse the causes of the ‘pet relationships’ phenomenon at the levels of needs and personality spheres, we conducted a comparative study of pet owners (n=44) and people who have no pets (n=39). The attached pet owners demonstrated a need for subjectification of the animal and orientation to a definite type of communication. Presentation of the results of this study to the Russian psychological community revealed the problem of acute and active polarization of the scholars regarding the assessment modus of relevance and importance of human–animal studies. Such a reaction could be determined by the level of an individual’s emotional and personal maturity rather than by theoretical or methodological issues.

2016-12-24



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Bivalves as Bioindicators: Work, Cooperation or Exploitation? Anthropological Case Study

Magdalena Kozhevnikova

Language: PL | Published: 05-09-2025 | Abstract | pp. 1-23

I explore the relationship between humans and the freshwater mussel Unio tumidus from both ethnographic and ethical perspectives. These mussels are placed within the technological environment of water infrastructure, where their role is to help control the quality of water intended for human consumption. I investigate whether these interactions can be understood as labor relations, following Donna Haraway’s framework, or as exploitation, as conceptualized by Peter Singer’s utilitarianism. My aim is to contextualize these interspecies relationships within a broader framework that acknowledges each species’ unique knowledge, skills, and needs concerning water. This exploration also extends to the relationships among individuals whose work is intricately connected to water.

2025-09-05



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

The Cow in the Traditional Spiritual Culture of the Brest Polesie Region (1)

Inna Shved

Language: RU | Published: 29-06-2021 | Abstract | pp. 1-27

This article discusses peasants’ attitude to cows, the foundations and mechanisms of this attitude’s semiotization, and the mythological and poetic interpretations of the images of the cow (and of the calf) in various types and genres of Belarusian traditional spiritual culture. Inna Shved examines folkloric and ethnographic material recorded in the Brest Polesie region in the period 1990–2018. She identifies and describes the “cow-bull code”, which covers a wide range of phenomena in the spiritual and material culture of peasants and relates to objects of peasant life. Deriving its origin from mythology, this code is reflected in ritual terminology and in folklore texts used in rituals and otherwise.

2021-06-29



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Communication of complication and complication of communication. Communication of human and non-human animal at the background assumptions of biosemiotics

Tomasz Nowak

Language: PL | Published: 14-02-2022 | Abstract | pp. 1-34

Tomasz Nowak’s article is part of a series of publications that deal with the problem of various aspects of communication. Here he focuses on the biological and semiotic dimensions of communication phenomena. His purpose is, inter alia, to give a biosemiotic reinterpretation of several key terms of classical information and communication theory. In particular, he is interested in the relationship between „communication of complication” and „complication of communication” as observed in different manifestations of communication between people and (other) animals. Nowak argues the biocommunication skills of human and non-human animals are separated by distance, both quantitative and qualitative.

2022-02-14



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

What Eats Up Hamlet? Worms as Active Actors in the Elsinore (and Not Only) Gastronomy

Monika Sosnowska

Language: PL | Published: 29-12-2020 | Abstract | pp. 125-142

Having been inspired by William Shakespeare’s Hamlet – a drama where both a ghost and a worm find their shelter – the author discusses contacts, interactions relations, and interdependence between human and non-human animals. During the investigation of his father’s “unnatural death,” Hamlet becomes aware of many natural phenomena, including organic cycle (in which worms play a crucial role). Although worms are culturally insignificant, they are significant organisms for ecosystems. As recyclers and fertilizers, they have real impact on ecosystem’s condition and equilibrium. The author exploits contemporary scientific knowledge to identify worms (mentioned in the play) by naming specific invertebrates in accordance with valid taxonomy. To refer to non-human Others, an innovative word – ‘The BioDiverse’ – is proposed. Additionally, Hamlet becomes an inspiration to reflect upon old and new funeral eco-practices, as well as the author’s future funeral – its place and form. The article is written from an ecocritical perspective.

2020-12-29



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Problematic Human-Animal Relationships: The “Animalization of Man” as a Gesture of Power and Violence in the Novels of Marieke Lukas Rijneveld

Magdalena Stoch

Language: PL | Published: 16-05-2025 | Abstract | pp. 1-16

The article deals with the „animalization of man” as a form of power and violence in Marieke Lukas Rijneveld’s novels The Discomfort of Evening (2021) and My Heavenly Favorite (2022). Rijneveld uses animal metaphors to depict hierarchical relationships between species that legitimize violence and domination in society. The narratives of the characters, especially a pedophile veterinarian, show how discourses of animal oppression permeate into human relationships, leading to the dehumanization and exploitation of the most vulnerable, such as children. Rijneveld exposes the illusory nature of interspecies boundaries, suggesting that violence against animals and humans is based on the same mechanisms. Using a zoocritical perspective, the author of the article shows how language and culture in Rijneveld’s novels shape social approval of violence, linking the fates of humans and animals in the context of domination and subordination.

2025-05-16



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Humanism as the Main Bioethical Category in Medical Research Involving Animals

Tatiana Kovaleva , Lidiia Zakharova , Elena Pariyskaya

Language: RU | Published: 29-06-2021 | Abstract | pp. 1-12

Animals are at the heart of biological and medical disciplines when carrying out educational and research exercises, both in the laboratory and in the classroom. Recent technological developments and the advancement of ethics have made it possible for traditional views on the relation of the researcher-experimenter to the research subject to evolve. At the Department of Physiology at St. Petersburg University, teachers are gradually abandoning the use of animals in practical exercises, actively introducing alternative methods of instruction to medical students. Such changes are taking place due to the fact that an increasing number of students defend the position that animals ought to remain unharmed. Replacing animals with alternative methods of research does not impair the quality of education and has a number of significant advantages: speed and depth of training, an individualistic approach, repeatability, ease of monitoring and evaluating results, the potential for autodidactic study, and a positive attitude to life.

2021-06-29



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

“Nobody Can Envy Their Fate, Indeed.” Robert Falcon Scott and Apsley Cherry-Garrard about Their Animals on the Way to the South Pole

Jacek Kurek

Language: PL | Published: 23-12-2015 | Abstract | pp. 279-294

The article is devoted to the attitudes of Robert Falcon Scott and his expedition companions towards animals on the way to the South Pole – both the animals they brought with them on the ship “Terra Nova” and those they encountered in Antarctica. Scott took 34 dogs and 19 Manchu ponies on this arduous expedition. None of them survived. This aim is to draw attention to the human dimension of the expedition, but it becomes a contribution to the history of relationships between humans and animals in Europe just before the First World War. Analysis of the reports of Robert F. Scott and Apsley Cherry-Garrard (a member of the expedition) allows us to conclude that the explorers felt a great deal of affection for the animals. In the face of their tragic fate, they often reflected on their own guilt and mistakes. The suffering of animals was marked firmly in their minds, and the only kind of justification was their desire to enrich humanity with new knowledge.

2015-12-23



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Howls in the Anthropocene: Between Wildness and Captivity of Wolves in the Memoirs of Lois Crisler and Teresa Martino

Paulina Szymonek

Language: EN | Published: 22-06-2022 | Abstract | pp. 1-18

The article shows the shift in perception of wolves that occurred in North America between the 1950s and 1990s through the stories of Lois Crisler and Teresa Martino—two women who developed a close relationship with their wolves. Although Lois Crisler’s wolves—Lady, Trigger, Alatna, Arctic, Barrow, Killik, and Tundra—were born wild, they spent their lives as captives. On the other hand, Mckenzie, a she-wolf born in captivity and raised by Teresa Martino, was released back to the wild. Their stories provide a glimpse into a period of time when hatred for wolves was giving way to public acceptance. It was during this time, too, that wolf reintroductions were considered as a way of rewilding the land after these predators have been almost completely exterminated in the United States.

2022-06-22



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Mia Couto’s Postcolonial Epistemology: Animality in "Confession of the Lioness" (A Confissão da leoa)

Kristian Van Haesendonck

Language: EN | Published: 25-12-2019 | Abstract | pp. 297-308

Celem artykułu jest zbadanie relacji pomiędzy zwierzęcością i śmiercią we współczesnej literaturze postkolonialnej pochodzącej z luzofońskiej części Afryki (czyli dawnych kolonii portugalskich), ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem powieści Wyznanie lwicy (A confissão da leoa) autorstwa mozambickiego pisarza Mii Couto. Jego twórczość znana jest z zainteresowania animizmem i tym, co nadprzyrodzone, stąd często kategoryzuje się ją pod szyldem „magicznego realizmu”. Jednakże w Wyznaniu lwicy Mia Couto zajmuje się raczej złożonym związkiem pomiędzy ludzką i zwierzęcą śmiercią, co wedle autora artykułu należy odczytywać z zupełnie innej perspektywy: wielorakie transmutacje postaci w fabule powieści wskazują na postkolonialne pragnienie renegocjowania granic pomiędzy zwierzęcością a tym, co (trans)ludzkie.

2019-12-25



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

What Determines a Lifestyle Change? Philosophical Assumptions of Veganism as a Moral Attitude of Humans Towards Non-Human Animals

Adriana Schetz

Language: PL | Published: 25-04-2024 | Abstract | pp. 1-14

The article provides a philosophical basis for the actors influencing the decision to change the lifestyle to a vegan one. The author has determined that these factors include: (1) first of all, being consistent with the principle characteristic of deep ecology, according to which the life of each subject (including, of course, human) is the occurring or final value, and (2) a level of emotional intelligence, especially empathy. The author also considers one of the more serious moral dilemma that vegans face, which she has termed the dilemma of deep ecology.

2024-04-25



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Anthropocentrically Marked Idioms with Species Names of Birds

Beata Burska-Ratajczyk

Language: PL | Published: 29-06-2021 | Abstract | pp. 1-14

This article describes anthropocentrically marked idioms with species names of birds in their structure. The material presented here shows the importance of the relationships between birds and humans as fixed in Polish phraseology. Structurally varied combinations of words containing a bird component serve as metaphorical characterizations of humans. Experiences and observations contained in them connote both positive and negative values. Those values concern not only the appearance of people, but also the intellect, human experience, and the general principles of human life.

2021-06-29



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Women, Dogs and Cats. Domestic Existence of Humans and Animals in Familial Literature

Marzena Małgorzata Kotyczka

Language: PL | Published: 23-12-2015 | Abstract | pp. 175-194

The article discusses the issue of living and thinking with pets. The author analyzes examples of popular literature, particularly books addressed to families and women, in order to seek for animal agency in the plot. The thesis is based on an assumption about the special bond between pets and female characters in such novels. Verifying the theory of Yi-Fu Tuan from his book Dominance and Affection. Making of Pets, the article questions pets as an effect of the human tendency to domination over nature and taking comfort in a coherent view of animals. Pets, according to Tuan’s theory, ought to be reflections of human desires and needs. The domination in its roots is male, but its repressive demands involve pets as well as women. This is the premise whereby the special relation between pets and female owners has evolved. That is the reason why it is important to examine the meaning of human-animal relations by considering gender. The space where the bond between women and their pets starts and develops is also significant. The home is the third main character of each novel, and maintains an actually dynamic relation with others.

2015-12-23



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

The Cow in the Traditional Spiritual Culture of the Brest Polesie Region (2)

Inna Shved

Language: PL | Published: 31-12-2021 | Abstract | pp. 1-33

This article discusses peasants’ attitude to cows, the foundations and mechanisms of this attitude’s semiotization, and the mythological and poetic interpretations of the images of the cow (and of the calf) in various types and genres of Belarusian traditional spiritual culture. Inna Shved examines folkloric and ethnographic material recorded in the Brest Polesie region in the period 1990–2018. She identifies and describes the “cow-bull code”, which covers a wide range of phenomena in the spiritual and material culture of peasants and relates to objects of peasant life. Deriving its origin from mythology, this code is reflected in ritual terminology and in folklore texts used in rituals and otherwise.

2021-12-31



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Exercices in empathy. Wieloryb The Globe directed by Eva Rysova, Ostatnie zwierzęta directed by Magda Szpecht Teatr Łaźnia Nowa in Kraków

Anna Filipowicz , Anna Jazgarska

Language: PL | Published: 24-12-2018 | Abstract | pp. 309-321

The performances: Wieloryb The Globe and Ostatnie zwierzęta show the whole scale of difficulties that accompany the entering into ethical relationships with the Other. From the point of view of traditional culture, making them is a story of stumbles, mistakes and errors that result in an uncertain encounter at best. The “exercises in empathy” designed by these performances are oriented towards the bottom-up emancipation of the excluded beings, both human and non-human once. According to their creators, it is possible only through education, not through revolution.

2018-12-24



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

„Man is godlike, animals thinglike” – Discourse of a Vegetarian in Elizabeth Costello by John Maxwell Coetzee

Agnieszka Stanecka

Language: PL | Published: 10-04-2024 | Abstract | pp. 1-15

In Elizabeth Costello by J.M. Coetzee the protagonist, in spite of being a popular writer, seems to be misunderstood and unaccepted as a result of her strict views on treating animals and eating meat. Her controversial opinions are supported with suggestive arguments and intellectual considerations which impress not only the audience but also Elizabeth’s son, who works at the university that hosts his mother. The arguments and comparisons used by Costello in her lectures always evoke interest of the audience. The variety of realms Elizabeth Costello applies in her speeches allows the readers to develop a multifaceted view on the issue of eating meat and above all, the treatment of animals. The aim of the article is to discuss the views and the discourse of the prota­gonist of the novel which she applies to make an impact on the audience. 

 

2024-04-10



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

The Ambivalent Image of the Dog in Robotics

Magdalena Kozhevnikova , Svetlana Karpova

Language: PL | Published: 29-06-2021 | Abstract | pp. 1-12

Dogs and humans have relationships which are special in their emotional intensity. Aside from the fact that the dog performs many tasks that fulfil the needs of its human owner, it is also, and perhaps primarily, that owner’s friend and companion. At the same time, a dog may be regarded as a threat, due to associations with the aggressive nature of its wolfish ancestors. This ambivalence with regard to dogs can be detected in the modern history of robotics: the machines which are being developed seem to reflect both types of the dog’s image: that of a family member and that of a dangerous beast. Examples are supplied by the Aibo commercial robot created by Sony and the BigDog robot (including its subsequent advanced versions), created by Boston Dynamics for the military. Both these products can be seen as illustrations of the seemingly contradictory images of the dog in culture.

2021-06-29



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

The Pigeon by Patrick Süskind: An Interpretation Attempt

Estera Głuszko-Boczoń

Language: PL | Published: 21-12-2021 | Abstract | pp. 1-14

This study addresses “The Pigeon”, a novella by Patrick Süskind. Its protagonist is Jonathan Noel, an aged bank porter. This man subjected his whole life to the regime of work, discipline and routine, while limiting his social relations to the minimum. However, one day his predictable existence is disrupted by a pigeon appearing at the threshold of his room. It triggers a series of events followed by fatal outcomes. The protagonist’s response to the pigeon surprises and opens space for psychological considerations of Jonathan’s nature. The bird disorganizes his life forcing him to undertake new, risky actions that are far from his habits. In my article I undertake an attempt to analyze the reasons underlying the protagonist’s phobias and his internal conflict that lead him to total alienation and estrangement. The phenomenon of solitude as well an attempt to understand the pigeon metaphor and its function in the novella make a significant aspect of my considerations.

2021-12-21



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Three cultures and Nature axiology. Towards rational discussion on the exploitation of Nature

Jan Marcin Węsławski

Language: PL | Published: 24-12-2018 | Abstract | pp. 181-188

Attempts to rationalize Man-Nature conflicts rely on the discussion limits set to the Scientific facts only (value-free science) with no emotion or opinion expressed. The number of examples presented from the field of hunting and fishery demonstrates that Science can model the population mortality or define the sustainable exploitation. However, it will not help to account for the way and reason for killing wild animals. As nowadays Nature is valued in a number of different ways, there is an urgent need to combine the traditionally separated domains of Science and Letters that is being postulated by a number of contemporary conservationists.

2018-12-24



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

A Competition Question: Horse Welfare, Pentathletes, and Competitive Riding

Aviva Vincent , Ruth Burke , Kaylynn Coates

Language: EN | Published: 09-06-2023 | Abstract | pp. 1-23

Equestrian sports vary in degree of human-animal bond and affiliation, from catch-ride to perceptions of ownership. The Modern Pentathlon has not garnered mainstream media coverage until the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. Unfortunately, the rise in conversation and coverage was in response and reaction to poor horsemanship, negative behavior, and aggressive coaching. The events of the 2020 Modern Pentathlon were
profound in that they highlighted the extreme juxtaposition of competitions that focus on bonded relationships and catch-riding experiences. The implications are far reaching with increased critique of equestrian sports, transparency about the lack of riding training athletes engaged in prior to competition, and the omission of partnership between horse and rider. The Modern Pentathlon is discussed in the context
of the human-equine bond. The standards for equine welfare and wellbeing is considered in regard to the role of the rider in supporting their equine partner in the face of competition, including the implications of emotional distress in reaction to disappointment, and tragedy. Additionally, the role of riders when they are not engaged in the competitive sport (e.g., training and general care of their equine partners). Recommendations for the process and guidelines of the sport are delineated, as well as professional opportunities to strengthen the sport.

2023-06-09



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

A Tail… Film Metaphors of Bodily Transgressions in Human and Animal World

Andrzej Pitrus

Language: EN | Published: 29-06-2021 | Abstract | pp. 1-11

Andrzej Pitrus writes about films showing the transgression of man towards animality. He is interested in human-animal hybrids, as well as prohibited sexual contacts between representatives of different species. These motifs are present in the cinema, but they are a kind of taboo, a line which filmmakers rarely cross. It turns out, however, that they can effectively problematize fundamental existential issues and more.

2021-06-29



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Selected Experiences in the Implementation of the Provisions Regarding Breeding Contained in the Act of August 21, 1997 on Animal Protection on the Example of Selling Dogs on the Internet in the Pomeranian Voivodeship

Lucyna Grzelec , Julia Knak

Language: PL | Published: 04-06-2025 | Abstract | pp. 1-15

The text presents a qualitative study conducted using the multiple case study method in which, using undisclosed interviews, an attempt was made to show the occurrence of illegal practices related to the sale of dogs via the Internet. In order to illustrate the phenomenon, the provisions contained in the Animal Protection Act of August 21, 1997 regulating the legal aspects of the sale of animals were used. In addition, the reference was made to the phenomenon of treating animals as objects and the place of the dog in the dog-human relationship. The concept of pseudo-breeding has been defined as a place of illegal and/or unethical sale and breeding of animals. The research revealed the practices of selling dogs online: characteristic behaviors, features of advertisements and the level of understanding the needs of dogs as species by advertisers.

2025-06-04



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

“Let it parade […]. Let it fly […]. Let it be […].” Bees and Other Insects in Poetry and Prose by Małgorzata Lebda

Ewa Mazurkiewicz

Language: PL | Published: 05-09-2025 | Abstract | pp. 1-13

In Małgorzata Lebda’s works, bees and other insects play a pivotal role as carriers of relational meanings and as a symbolic space where human and animal worlds converge. Drawing on her experiences growing up in a beekeeping family and her close relationship with her father, Lebda constructs a literary vision centered on the interdependence of human and non-human beings. Bees in her poetry and prose serve not only as metaphors for communal life but also embody harmony and collaboration within an ecosystem encompassing all life forms. The interactions between her characters and bees reveal deeper truths about human existence: its fragility, the need for care, and shared responsibility toward the natural world. Thus, insects stand as a testament to the unity of life and emphasize the necessity of recognizing the interconnectedness binding humanity to its environment.

2025-09-05



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Hunting and Religion. On the Religious Significance of Hunting Practices from the Perspective of Animal Studies

Alina Mitek‑Dziemba

Language: PL | Published: 24-12-2018 | Abstract | pp. 71-87

The main aim of the article is to consider the presence and function of religion (in most cases, the Christian religion) in the broadly conceived hunting practices at the turn of the 21st century, as well as the presence of religious motivation and ideological commitment in the hunters’ community from the perspective of religious studies inspired by the empirical research into the human-animal relationship (known as animal studies). The hunting narrative is shown, on the one hand, as eagerly seeking legitimacy and support from institutional religion (evidenced by the patron saints of hunting, the hunting ceremonial that has close parallels in the church ceremonial, and the argument in favour of “ecological balance” and “nature management” based on theological sources) and, on the other hand, as disguising an unethical and religiously unacceptable element of the arbitrary taking of life and inflicting pain without a shadow of empathy or without respecting the right to existence of what is a vulnerable being, even more so because it is devoid of human tools and rationality. The author’s examination of the issues leads to the discussion of the hunters’ religious mythologizing of their own status which draws on the ancient origin of hunting practices in prehistoric times: a period when the human-animal relationship was not yet marked by dualistic division and ontological asymmetry. The paper ultimately aims at the analysis of the way hunting is presented in religious studies research, of the difference between the implications of hunting activities for the human-animal relationship in premodern tribal communities (which practised subsistence hunting) and contemporary industrialized ones, and of the possibility of granting religious subjecthood to animals which stems from the return to the non-dichotomous, relational and dynamic view of the world typical of hunter-gatherers’ times.

2018-12-24



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Treatment of Trauma Using Horse Assisted Education in Poland

Karolina Czarnecka , Kathleen Farkas , Jaroslaw R. Romaniuk

Language: EN | Published: 09-06-2023 | Abstract | pp. 1-18

Trauma-informed care requires a sound therapeutic relationship to address trauma symptoms. People with trauma symptoms often cannot use their communication skills or do not possess the emotional stability to talk with others, and many drop out of treatment.  Horse Assisted Education employs a partnership of horse and humans which leads to engagement and participation in experiential and narrative trauma treatment leading to sustained change and recovery. This paper illustrates a model of Horse Assisted Education in Poland, its application in the treatment of trauma symptoms. Three case studies are used to discuss the ways in which the human-animal partnerships foster therapeutic engagement and facilitate experiential learning and insight into trauma symptoms and recovery.

2023-06-09



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Demythologization of the Negative Perception of the Wolf in the Novel A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans

Anna Naplocha

Language: PL | Published: 29-12-2020 | Abstract | pp. 203-215

The article deals with the issue of refuting the negative perception of the wolf among the inhabitants of Alaska in the novel A Wolf Called Romeo by Nick Jans. The pejorative perception of the wolf’s existence has its source in the persecution of this predator that began in the 17th century. Nick Jans’ non-fiction novel relates to the seven-year coexistence of Juneau residents in Alaska with a lone, untamed wolf. This novel demythologizes stereotypical, negative beliefs about wolves. This song is an important voice on the policy of protecting wolves in Alaska and is a literary illustration of the stages of gradual change in the way people perceive wolves from a negative to an affirmative attitude.

2020-12-29



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Dog Homelessness in Poland, the Netherlands and Italy from a Comparative Perspective

Hanna Mamzer , Paweł P. Nowak , Magdalena Ziółkowska

Language: PL | Published: 27-05-2025 | Abstract | pp. 1-23

The text presents a comparative analysis of the situation of homeless dogs in three selected countries: Poland, Italy and the Netherlands. The aim of the article is to analyze the situation of the homeless in relation to the cultural specificity of a given country. Such an analysis is intended to enable the identification of factors that may help reduce animal homelessness, which is a problem not only for animal welfare, but also for human well-being. Homeless animals are exposed to diseases, death in traffic accidents, lack of food, and unfriendly attitudes from people. In turn, for people, stray dogs pose a risk of bites, the spread of zoonoses, and the need to implement programs financed from public funds and aimed at reducing animal homelessness. The biggest challenge in this situation is ensuring the well-being of animals – is staying in a shelter all their life better than being homeless? In the Netherlands the problem of homeless animals does not exist (they are all caught, placed in shelters and given to adoption) while in Poland there are few free-roaming animals, but there is a huge problem of overcrowded shelters where animals are locked up for life. Italy has free-roaming strays and shelter animals. Comparing the situation of these three countries makes it possible to replicate good practices in preventing animal homelessness.

2025-05-27



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Going Veg: Care of the Animals or Care of the Self?

Simone Pollo

Language: EN | Published: 24-12-2017 | Abstract | pp. 143-154

Teorie etyki zwierzęcej głównego nurtu, reprezentowane np. przez Singera i Regana, opowiadają się za zachowaniami żywieniowymi wykluczającymi spożywanie jakichkolwiek produktów pochodzenia zwierzęcego. Zgodnie z takimi ujęciami tematu, w naszych społeczeństwach i w obecnych warunkach życia, rezygnacja z żywności pochodzenia zwierzęcego jest obowiązkiem w świetle wymogów normatywnych teorii etyki. W niniejszym artykule zaprezentuję inne spojrzenie na problem refleksyjnego wegetarianizmu moralnego (definiowanego w bardzo szerokim znaczeniu). Przechodząc od niektórych bardzo krytycznych sformułowań do argumentów reprezentowanych przez główny nurt, zaproponuję stwierdzenie, że bardziej celowym jest rozpatrywać wegetarianizm jako element samorozwoju i troski o samego siebie uprawianych przez ludzi będących uczciwymi czynnymi podmiotami moralnymi. Wegetarianizm, który jest owocem osobistych refleksji na temat moralności relacji między ludźmi i innymi istotami, powinien być rozpatrywany w taki sposób, w którym czynne podmioty moralne kształtują i kultywują swój własny charakter. Taki sposób ujmowania wegetarianizmu pozwala uniknąć trudności argumentów głównego nurtu i pozwala trafniej ujmować bogactwo i różnorodność rzeczywistych wyborów ludzi w kwestii wegetarianizmu w sferze zwyczajowych doświadczeń natury moralnej.

2017-12-24



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Behind the Wall. About a Woman, Animals and (Un)Everydayness in Marlen Haushofer’s Novel The Wall

Estera Głuszko-Boczoń

Language: PL | Published: 28-09-2022 | Abstract | pp. 1-19

Marlen Haushofer’s novel, The Wall (Die Wand), published in 1963, elevated the author to fame, winning the admiration of readers and critics beyond the German-speaking world. As a result of a twist of fate she can neither grasp let alone understand, the heroine is cut off from the external world by an invisible obstacle – the titular wall. Behind it, human and animal life dies away, literally. She is the sole survivor of the catastrophe. From then on, she has to live in complete seclusion, left to her own devices and to fend for herself. Her only companions are a small group of animals giving sense to her existence. The sense of responsibility she feels for those living beings, her care for them, and the total isolation and sense of hopelessness become the determinants of her everyday life. This paper aims to present the main character’s uncommonness
of daily living conveyed by the title and caused by an unexpected disaster. It seems important to investigate the protagonist’s attempts to reconstruct her own social space, where human interactions are replaced by interactions with animals. It is no less important to investigate her survival strategies, which are based on the strategies she had known before the disaster. The character has to take on a new role in a new reality that turns out to be a kind of reflection of her previous social role. This paper attempts to review the established social rules which had to become devalued to a certain extent when the character was faced with a radical change. Haushofer’s work can also be interpreted as a parable of the present time, in which fear of what is unknown (a disaster, a war, a pandemic) determines the way that the individual lives day by day. This paper is based primarily on the source text, namely M. Haushofer’s The Wall, and the analysis in this paper refers to feminist discourse, ecocriticism and animal studies.

2022-09-28



Journal: Zoophilologica. Polish Journal of Animal Studies

Andrei Bely’s Centaurs

Izabella Malej

Language: PL | Published: 29-12-2020 | Abstract | pp. 143-160

Andrei Bely, like most Russian symbolists, absorbed and transposed mythical characters and stories into his work, especially those born in the ancient times. Centaurs derive their origins from Greek mythology and are most often presented as hybrid creatures (half man, half animal). In Bely’s view, they become a symbol of the dual nature of man who struggles with suffering resulting from the simultaneous belonging to two worlds: humans and animals, matter and senses, spirituality and dark urges. In Bely’s works, the image of these mythical animals serves as an element of an artistic game with the recipient (by analogy to the “games of centaurs”), in the course of which it becomes possible to read the artist’s attitude to the myth about these animals, to the surrounding reality, and finally – to oneself. The myth itself reveals its philosophical, psychological and hermeneutical potential. That is why in Bely’s works the presence of centaurs has a multidimensional character, built on the interpenetration of the tame and the alien, tempered and wild, real and cosmic. All this determines the transgressive quality of the myth of centaurs in the work of the Russian symbolist.

2020-12-29