Book Recommendations, Reviews and Author Interviews from All-Creatures.org

What the Bears Know: How I Found Truth and Magic in America's Most Misunderstood Creatures—A Memoir by Animal Planet's 'The Bear Whisperer' By Steve Searles and Chris Erskine

Publisher: Pegasus Publishers

Authors interviewed by Marc Bekoff, Psychology Today / Animal Emotions

What the Bears Know: How I Found Truth and Magic in America's Most Misunderstood Creatures—A Memoir by Animal Planet's 'The Bear Whisperer'
Available at Amazon
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 163936501X
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1639365012

Marc Bekoff's Interview: What to Bears Know and Feel?

Steve Searles and Chris Erskine's new book is a fascinating and inspiring read.

"The incredible story of how one man went from a hired hunter to becoming one of America’s top champions for this iconic animal."

It’s like seeing a rainbow or a shooting star. People ask me all the time what they should do when they come across a bear. I say, take a breath, hug your kid, whisper in their ear: “Aren’t we lucky? We get to see a bear.”

I love learning about the fascinating nonhumans with whom we share our magnificent planet. When I learned about Steve Searles and Chris Erskine's new book What the Bears Know: How I Found Truth and Magic in America's Most Misunderstood Creatures—A Memoir by Animal Planet's "The Bear Whisperer," I couldn't wait to read it and learn more about it from the authors. I am pleased Steve and Chris could take the time to answer some questions about their wonderful new book.

Marc Bekoff: Why did you write What the Bears Know?

Steve Searles (SS): I’m the luckiest person in the world. I feel I’ve lived a hundred men’s lives. I wanted to tell that story, and for readers to benefit from my triumphs and errors. No other animal has inspired such deep philosophical questions as bears have. A giraffe? A hippo? I think those animals are amazing—I can’t look away. But it’s the bear that for thousands of years has brought out such reverence among humans. When people are in proximity to a bear, they look inside their own souls and minds. Why? That’s what we get at in this book. If you see a bear, you remember the time of day, which way the wind was blowing. It’s almost an out-of-body experience. Again, a giraffe just doesn’t bring that out in us.

MB: How does your book relate to your backgrounds and general areas of interest?

Chris Erskine (CE): In story after story after story, Steve shows a therapist’s feel for the emotions of bears. I never saw anything like it. I love nature, and this project took me eight layers deeper in my understanding of the wilderness—and of our relationship to it.

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Please read the ENTIRE INTERVIEW HERE.

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