Re: “Book Review: ‘I Am Coyote’ mixes science, imagination imperfectly” (Nov. 1):

As a conservation biologist and as one who conducted field research on coyotes and red fox in Acadia National Park in the late 1980s, I was saddened to read Thomas Urquhart’s recent review of Geri Virstein’s beautiful book, “I Am Coyote.” I urge Thomas to read “Big Love,” published in the May/June issue of Orion Magazine and written by Carl Safina, a nationally renowned ecologist and author.

Historically and unfortunately, the formal tradition of field biology has trained students and professionals to disavow emotions in their understanding of animals. Anything smacking of “feelings” in animals was dismissively discredited as “anthropomorphic” and “unscientific.” Because of clear evidence to the contrary, that narrow viewpoint is beginning to change.

Dismissiveness of “feelings” in animals still represents a strongly held view among some conservationists and biologists.

However, as Safina points out, “Simply deciding that other animals can’t have any emotions that humans feel is a cheap way to get a monopoly on all the world’s feelings and motivations. People who’ve systematically watched or known animals realize the absurdity of this. But many others still don’t … . When someone says you can’t attribute human emotions to animals, they forget the key leveling detail: humans are animals.”

Urquhart should open his heart and mind to a newer, more inclusive way of thinking about wildlife. By recognizing that animals have hearts and minds, research can ask more interesting and comprehensive questions, and educational endeavors can engage humans to build a fuller and more compassionate understanding of wildlife.

Virstein deserves credit, not criticism, for recognizing that to clearly understand wild animals, biologists must allow space to engage with emotion and feeling. Virstein’s book deserves a wide audience so that her deep understanding of coyotes will serve our wild neighbors and our natural world well.