The Emotional Lives of Farmed Animals and Why They Matter
Vicki Hutton's science-based book focuses on the lives of rescued animals.
Updated May 26, 2026 | Reviewed by Lybi Ma
"If slaughterhouses had glass walls, everyone would be vegetarian."—Paul McCartney
More than enough detailed evidence clearly shows that millions of animals used for food—farmed animals ranging from mammals to birds to fish and invertebrates—are sentient beings with rich and deep cognitive and emotional lives . And, because the inner lives of these animals and their diverse individual personalities and how they are treated " out of sight " are increasingly being exposed not only in scientific media but also in a wide range of popular outlets, more and more people know that these animals suffer greatly and are experiencing moral challenges about who they choose to eat. 1
For these and other reasons, I was pleased to read Vicki Hutton's recent book Emotion in Farmed Animals: Ethical Challenges for Animal Welfare, in which she offers stories about the uniqueness of every pig, cow, bird, rabbit, and other animals when they are allowed to display these traits. To show who these animals really are when they are free to be themselves, Vicki "seeks to bring change through stories of individual animals now living on farmed animal sanctuaries" whose stories reveal them as individuals with wide-ranging emotional capacities and a sense of the future.
Marc Bekoff: Why did you write Emotion in Farmed Animals ?
Vicki Hutton: Every animal is unique, but the industrial farm system has commodified them into products for mass consumption. I wanted to showcase the uniqueness of farmed animals by giving voice to some survivors of the system. The best place to start was at the farmed animal sanctuaries that offer a home and a future.
MB: How does your book relate to your background and general areas of interest?
This book draws on my background in human psychology to confront the paradox of why some animals are privileged and others—like farmed animals—are used and abused. Long ago, my work in animal welfare confirmed that humans are the common factor in affecting every animal’s life for better or worse. Putting a name and face to suffering is a key step to creating motivation for meaningful change.
MB: Who do you hope to reach?
VH: By sharing the stories of individual animals, I’m hoping to stimulate empathy and understanding among the general public so they can add their voices to the work of animal advocates. The animals in these stories create a singularity effect; the scale of animal suffering becomes evident through one, and motivates us to contribute to changes in a system that prioritises economic productivity over welfare.
MB: What topics do you consider, and what are some of your major messages?
VH: People from 23 farmed animal sanctuaries around the world took time out of their busy days to tell me about more than 40 of their residents. Whether cows, sheep, pigs, goats, chickens, ducks, turkeys, geese, alpacas, camels, donkeys, or rabbits, these animals were given the chance to live in safety for the rest of their lives. The emotion behind these stories is a powerful reminder that current intensive farm production systems are flawed. As the general public becomes increasingly aware of how products arrive on their plates—especially related to confinement, genetic manipulations, and slaughter—these stories seek to break down strategies adopted when people try to avoid the psychological discomfort of professing to love animals while silently condoning their ongoing abuse.
MB: How does your work differ from others concerned with some of the same general topics?
VH: The problem is bigger than any one person’s work, but every contribution helps shape public perceptions about the ethical treatment of animals. While some of the animal stories have their genesis in abuse, this book aims to focus on the present and future for these animals, raising awareness of possibilities. This book, therefore, provides evidence of alternative outcomes to the industrial farm systems.
While this book is a call to action, it is also an acknowledgement that change will not happen overnight. Humans have shaped domestic animals to be completely dependent on human care. Even if all farmed animals were released tomorrow, they would have nowhere to go in a world where their selectively bred domestication traits and genetic modifications for greater productivity have left many unfit to survive as free individuals. Therefore, this book serves as a reminder of the selfless work carried out in numerous farmed animal sanctuaries that offer homes to the lucky few. Busy people took the time to collaborate with me so that their beloved residents could help educate the wider public on both the role of farmed animal sanctuaries and possibilities when an animal is perceived as a unique individual.
MB: Are you hopeful that, as people learn more about these amazing beings, they will treat them with more respect, compassion, and dignity?
VH: The stories in this book demonstrate the capacity of animals not only to recover but to forgive. Animals who have suffered unimaginable cruelty, valued only for what they can provide humans, show no bitterness and learn to trust the humans and other animals in their new home. I am hopeful that readers will recognise that when offered safety and care, these farmed animals are no different from the companion animals that humans take into their homes and their hearts. Unfortunately, the atrocities that humans inflict on farmed animals in the escalating global demand for food and products deny farmed animals basic moral rights as sentient beings.
These stories also teach us how to be better humans. Not only do the animals forgive, but they also demonstrate non-discriminatory love—for humans, their own species, and other species alike. There are blind animals, three-legged animals, animals whose leg bones have shattered under the unnatural growth rates bred into them for maximum productivity, animals who give birth only to have their young snatched from their side—and yet they still have capacity for forgiveness , happiness , and caring. Some don’t live long, and their deaths are grieved, something that would never have happened in their previous existence. Some grieve each other, showing that they form meaningful bonds and suffer when those bonds are broken. Humans could learn much from these survivors who demonstrate respect, compassion, and dignity in their everyday lives.
In conversation with Vicki Hutton , a researcher whose interests now lie in the urgent need to view animals as unique individuals capable of experiencing positive and negative emotions, not just as adjuncts to the human experience or commodities to be used and abused.
- Bekoff, Marc. Is Dairy Farming Cruel to Bright and Emotional Cows? ; The Mistreatment of Female "Food Cows" Includes Sexual Abuse ; Cows: Science Shows They're Bright and Emotional Individuals ; What Would a Mother "Food" Cow Tell Us About Her Children? ; Do Cows Moo "Get me the Hell out of Here" on Factory Farms? ; The Emotional Lives of Cows: Ears Tell Us They're Feeling OK ; The Social and Emotional Lives of Cows From the Outside In ; Pigs Are Intelligent, Emotional, and Cognitively Complex ; Chickens' Startlingly Complex Social and Emotional Lives ; The Emotional Lives and Personalities of Backyard Chickens ; Why Fishes Matter: Their Rich Cognitive and Emotional Lives .
_____. The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy ― and Why They Matter . New World Library, 2024.
____ and Jeff Campbell. Love in Their Hearts: A Celebration of Animal Emotions and a Guide to Compassionate Action . Armin Lear Press, 2026.
Graham, Rachel. Pigs Are Intelligent and Clean Animals, Actually . Sentient Science, October 4, 2023.
Marino, Lori and Kristin Allen. The Psychology of Cows . Animal Behavior and Cognition . 474-498, 2017.
Share this post Facebook Bluesky Linkedin Email
There was a problem adding your email address. Please try again.
By submitting your information you agree to the Psychology Today Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy
Marc Bekoff, Ph.D., is professor emeritus of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.
Get the help you need from a therapist near you–a FREE service from Psychology Today.
This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.