Smiling Bears

By Else Poulsen,

Book cover of Smiling Bears: A Zookeeper Explores the Behaviour and Emotional Life of Bears

Book description

A zookeeper's story of her extraordinary relationship with the bears she has rescued and her insights into their emotional lives. "An inspiring trip into the mind and reality of bears." --Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson, author of When Elephants Weep Few people know bears as intimately as Else Poulsen. She has raised…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

1 author picked Smiling Bears as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

Part of my reason for writing my book was to understand what it means to be a conscientious zookeeper, and this book provides an intimate portrait of a woman deeply committed to the animals she loves. The first two questions the late award-winning animal management consultant Else Poulsen asked any creature she met were “Who are you?” and “What can I do for you?” She learned the answers by close observation and empathy. She nurtured bears in crisis, raised and comforted them, taught them, and learned from them.

Want books like Smiling Bears?

Our community of 11,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like Smiling Bears.

Browse books like Smiling Bears

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in polar bears, Anthrozoology, and behavior?

Polar Bears 23 books
Anthrozoology 124 books
Behavior 54 books