Abstract
Law school casebook that draws liberally upon the subject's rich history in law and culture. Without that history, there can be no firm understanding of the subject. Second, animals are living entities, organized into shifting, complex ecological systems; from the first page, biology plays a critical role in the story. Third, moral sentiments and ethical values have expanded to attend to the plight of particular animals, to species, and to the healthy functioning of communities. Ethical concerns, too, appear as a key issue.