Dear PCRM supporter,

Following the success of my book Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good, I am excited to share with you the news that I am back to work on a new book—a pictorial volume showcasing the rich landscapes of pleasure in animals. This coffee-table book will contain large color images of animals engaging in rewarding activities, such as playing, parenting, and relaxing.

Pleasurable Kingdom was the first book to focus exclusively on pleasure in animals, and the new book will be the first pictorial book of its kind. Exultant Ark will celebrate the positive aspects of animals’ existence and further correct the stereotype—commonly bolstered by nature documentaries that favor life’s more dramatic and perilous moments—that wild nature is a constant, earnest struggle for survival.

I was energized by meeting so many animal lovers on my recent book tour and would like to invite the photographers among you to take part in this new effort by submitting your photographs for the Exultant Ark Photo Contest. The winning photograph will be a stunning, lush image of an animal(s) in a pleasurable situation that may range from the charismatic and familiar to the obscure and bizarre.

The top five images will each receive a copy of Exultant Ark and be featured on PCRM’s Web site where the winning image will be determined by online voting. The photograph with the most votes will be included in the book; however, placement and size of the image will be left to the discretion of The University of California Press. The winning photographer will also receive a pair of tickets to PCRM’s 25th Anniversary Gala.

Will you help spread the word about this unique opportunity by forwarding this message to your favorite animal photographers? I am looking forward to viewing the entries!

Best regards,

Jonathan Balcombe, Ph.D.
PCRM Senior Research Scientist

Pleasurable Kingdom Combining rigorous evidence, elegant argument, and amusing anecdotes, leading animal behavior researcher Jonathan Balcombe proposes that the possibility of positive feelings in creatures other than humans has important ethical ramifications for both science and society.

 Snow Monkey mother and child photo by Steve Mandel©