Skip to content
Home/ Fighting Nature: Travelling Menageries, Animal Acts and War Shows
Fighting Nature: Travelling Menageries, Animal Acts and War Shows

Fighting Nature: Travelling Menageries, Animal Acts and War Shows

by Tait, Peta
No customer reviews yet ISBN 9781743324301 Sydney University Press

Throughout the 19th century, animals were integrated into staged scenarios of confrontation, ranging from lion acts in small cages to large-scale re-enactments of war. Initially presenting a handful of exotic animals, travelling menageries grew to contain multiple species in their thousands. These 19th-century menageries entrenched beliefs about the human right to exploit nature through war-like practices against other animal species. Animal shows became a stimulus for antisocial behaviour as locals taunted animals, caused fights, and even turned into violent mobs. Human societal problems were difficult to separate from issues of cruelty to animals.

Apart from reflecting human capacity for fighting and aggression, and the belief in human dominance over nature, these animal performances also echoed cultural fascination with conflict, war and colonial expansion, as the grand spectacles of imperial power reinforced state authority and enhanced public displays of nationhood and nationalistic evocations of colonial empires.

Fighting Nature is an insightful analysis of the historical legacy of 19th-century colonialism, war, animal acquisition and transportation. This legacy of entrenched beliefs about the human right to exploit other animal species is yet to be defeated.

About the author

Product details

BrandSydney University Press
Pub dateAug 10, 2016
ISBN-101743324308
ISBN-139781743324301
LanguageEnglish
Dimensions8.27 × 0.69 × 5.83 in
Weight1 lb
Last updated 2026-03-13 03:51
$24.55 $27.99 12% off
You save $3.44 · list price $27.99
In stock — ships in 24 hours with free tracking
Delivery by Thursday, September 17, 2026
Qty
Sign in to Add to Saved list
Free delivery on orders over $35.
15-day returns. Any reason.
Secure checkout. We never store card details.

Readers who bought this also bought

More from Animal Rights
See all
Bond
Pacelle, Wayne
$12.86
Humane Economy: How Innovators and Enlightened Consumers Are Transforming the Lives of Animals
Pacelle, Wayne
$12.77
Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed
Singer, Peter
$14.16
Animal Liberation Now: The Definitive Classic Renewed
Singer, Peter
$21.09
Pangolins: Science, Society and Conservation
<p><i>Pangolins: Science, Society and Conservation</i> brings together experts from around the world to document the most up-to-date scientific knowledge on pangolins and their conservation. It chronicles threats facing the species, explores the current initiatives required to protect them, and looks ahead at the future of pangolin science and conservation efforts.</p> <p>Led by a team of editors with more than 20 years collective experience in pangolin conservation, this book includes accounts of the species' evolution, morphology, and systematics. It discusses the role of pangolins in historically symbolic, mythological, and ritualistic practices across Africa, Asia, and Europe, as well as contemporary practices including international trafficking. Chapters in the latter portion of this book focus on conservation solutions, including law enforcement and international policy, behavior change, local community engagement, ex situ<i> </i>conservation, tourism, and other interventions needed to secure the future of the species.</p><i> <p>Pangolins: Science, Society and Conservation</i> is the latest volume in Elsevier's species-specific series, Biodiversity of the World: Conservation from Genes to Landscapes. This book is a valuable resource for researchers and students in species conservation science, planning, and policymaking.</p>
$147.57
Strategies for Successful Animal Shelters
Reese, Laura A
$115.75