Jennifer Holland Knihy

A new book from the New York Times bestselling series. Enhanced with beautiful full-color photographs, these true stories of camaraderie, affection, and remarkable bravery are from the author of the New York Times bestsellers Unlikely Friendships, Unlikely Loves, and Unlikely Heroes, as well as other books and calendars, with nearly two million copies in print. Meet Rex, a German shepherd who learned to love and trust again through the improbable friendship of a goose. The pit bull named Dolly, whose antics with her best friend, Sheldon the tortoise, include games of tag. For the millions of dog lovers, this heartwarming and inspirational book celebrates 37 stories of unusual canine companionship.

It is exactly like Isaiah 11:6: “The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid . . . ” Written by National Geographic magazine writer Jennifer Holland, Unlikely Friendships documents one heartwarming tale after another of animals who, with nothing else in common, bond in the most unexpected ways. A cat and a bird. A mare and a fawn. An elephant and a sheep. A snake and a hamster. The well-documented stories of Koko the gorilla and All Ball the kitten; and the hippo Owen and the tortoise Mzee. And almost inexplicable stories of predators befriending prey—an Indian leopard slips into a village every night to sleep with a calf. A lionness mothers a baby oryx. Ms. Holland narrates the details and arc of each story, and also offers insights into why—how the young leopard, probably motherless, sought maternal comfort with the calf, and how a baby oryx inspired the same mothering instinct in the lionness. Or, in the story of Kizzy, a nervous retired Greyhound, and Murphy, a red tabby, how cats and dogs actually understand each other’s body language. With Murphy’s friendship and support, Kizzy recovered from life as a racing dog and became a confident, loyal family pet. These are the most amazing friendships between species, collected from around the world and documented in a selection of full-color candid photographs.

Liebe, könnte man meinen, empfinden nur Menschen. Und doch berichtet Jennifer Holland von Tieren, die sich ohne Zwang für einander einsetzen, ja aufopfern, sodass sicher scheint: Das ist Liebe! So rettet ein Esel ein Schaf vor einem angreifenden Hund, eine Gans leitet einen blinden Boxer durchs Leben und eine Rottweilerhündin nimmt ein Ferkel in ihrem Wurf auf. Jennifer Holland erzählt warmherzige Geschichten, die unser Bild von Liebe um einige Facetten erweitern.

Die Autorin Jennifer Holland erforscht die komplexe Intelligenz von Hunden und stellt Fragen zur Messung und Vergleichbarkeit mit menschlicher Intelligenz. Durch persönliche Erlebnisse und Interviews mit Experten beleuchtet sie verschiedene Aspekte der Hundeintelligenz, von emotionaler bis hin zu "Nasenintelligenz", und bietet eine erfrischende Perspektive auf unsere tierischen Begleiter.