DEAR READERS: Dr. Tony Jones, a theologian and former pastor, has written a memoir called "The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors.” He writes: “Reflecting on the inevitability of my own death, I’ve made the conscious choice to cause death. Anyone who eats meat causes death, but it’s usually outsourced to people who work at kill plants. I’ve chosen to actively participate in the death of my fellow creatures, to end their lives and take their flesh into my body as food.” Touching on the sacramental ethos of our paleolithic past, hunting and killing to survive, Jones’ website (reverendhunter.com) opens the path to finding God in nature and the nature of God through hunting and killing.

Life gives to life, and life takes from life in the prey-predator relationship. This memoir by a former Christian pastor who went feral is deeply moving and disturbing. As I emphasize in several poems in my book “For All Our Relations: Visions and Vexations of a Veterinarian,” there are many ways to restore our feral sensibilities. One must question what kind of God created such a world as ours with predators and parasites. Now, with 8 billion humans on this planet, there is little left of the “untouched outdoors” that is in urgent need of protection and expansion. For God’s sake -- and nature’s -- the fewer animals we raise and have others kill for us to eat, the better. Many rediscover the divine simply by observing and filming wildlife. There is no need to kill.

In his book “The Art of Happiness,” the Dalai Lama wrote: “Ask a hunter to visualize his favorite hunting dog being shot or caught in a trap to awaken feelings of compassion. Then he may better imagine the suffering of his prey.” Such envisioning is the bridge of empathy enabling us to feel for others and to exercise our moral freedom of choice to act responsibly. To take pleasure in the hunt and the kill, and to enjoy wearing designer fashion furs from animals snared and trapped, are aberrations of the ethics and spirituality of a subsistence way of living and of valuing life that was sustainable for millennia in our gatherer-hunter past. Now our children are corrupted by the values of consumerism and of treating other sentient beings as objects and commodities rather than as subjects of communion and community.

It is now documented that the first humans, going back 2 million years, were hunter-gatherers. Agriculture and animal domestication are relatively recent, within the last 10,000 years. We can see that hunting is deeply embedded in the human psyche, but unlike other predators, such as wolves and lions, our numbers have increased. Wolves practice social control of population -- dominant wolves prevent others from mating -- and lions kill the offspring of lionesses that are from other lions. It is time for us to evolve, promote family planning and not continue to face population-regulating wars, famines and plagues.

DEAR DR. FOX: I have been reading your column for years in The Palm Beach Post. Your article “Recovering and sharing truth and trust” hit the nail on the head. Thank you for calling it what it has become ... an “opposition to science as another example of bio-fascism.” Now where can I find your new book, "One Health: Veterinary, Ethical and Environmental Perspectives"? -- C.H., West Palm Beach, Florida

DEAR C.H.: My new book is filled with reference citations documenting the issues we face and what we all can do. People in the U.S. can order the book from routledge.com. All royalties that I receive are donated to animal protection and conservation.

Here are the talking points put out by my publisher:

“The rising incidence of zoonotic diseases from farmed animals and wildlife in the expanding human population (and so-called reverse zoonoses, where humans are infecting other species) are existential concerns. These concerns are linked with anthropogenic climate change and our impact on ecosystems which threaten biodiversity and the health and future of mankind and many other species. These interconnected issues are examined in this book, broadening the scope and agenda of what is currently more narrowly practiced as ‘preventive medicine.'

"Holistic preventive health-care maintenance can offer a viable alternative to the escalating costs of human and companion animal health problems, the poor welfare of factory farmed animals, and endangered status of many wild species.

"Fearlessly tackling contentious issues and ‘wicked problems,’ Dr. Michael W. Fox offers an integrated perspective of what One Health looks like on the ground.”

I also emphasize how changing our diets can help improve our health, save the planet and reduce animal suffering, and the importance of educating children about animals and the environment and getting them outdoors into nature.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR READERS: Most of you know that veterinarians work to keep companion and farmed animals in good health. There are specialist veterinary associations for different species, such as cattle and pigs, and specialists in many disciplines: from orthopedics and ophthalmology to nutrition, oncology and dermatology. And there are many who are dedicated to teaching the next generation in veterinary colleges.

But you may not know that veterinarians also work in food safety, slaughterhouse inspection, wildlife rehabilitation, and disease monitoring and prevention. Others keep animals in zoos, wildlife parks and refuges healthy, saving some species from extinction.

Veterinarians also use their skills for the benefit of animals in shelters and import quarantine facilities, and those in state, federal and corporate biomedical research laboratories, where animals are bred and raised in efforts to make advances in animal and human health.

Some veterinarians work for nonprofit organizations, such as World Vets and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, to help keep wild and domesticated animals in good health while promoting animal welfare and protection standards and legislation. Professional veterinary organizations share these goals, notably the World Veterinary Association, the World Organisation for Animal Health, the International Veterinary Forensic Sciences Association and others.

Notably, veterinarians also serve in many government agencies, as listed by the nonprofit U.S. Animal Health Association (usaha.org/federal-and-state-animal-health). Here are just a few, sorted by department.

-- U.S. Department of Agriculture: Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Veterinary Services and Wildlife Services divisions; Agricultural Research Services; Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service

-- U.S. Department of Homeland Security: Office of Health Affairs; Science and Technology Directorate

-- U.S. Department of the Interior: National Park Service; U.S. Geological Survey's Biological Resources Discipline and the National Wildlife Health Center; Fish and Wildlife Service

-- U.S. Department of Energy: Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory

-- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Center for Emerging and Zoonotic Infectious Diseases

Collectively, veterinarians play a pivotal role in public health -- especially by monitoring and preventing zoonotic (animal-to-human) diseases. For this reason, among others, the Trump administration’s defunding and firing of veterinary staff in any of these federal agencies via the so-called Department of Government Efficiency is imprudent and outrageous. The blind wrecking ball of DOGE, purportedly to reduce inflation, is causing chaos and disrupting the lives and families of thousands of dedicated government employees.

The firing of veterinarians working on finding preventives for the current H5N1 avian influenza virus was met with dismay (and was quickly rectified). The dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development, which provides essential veterinary services, is unconscionable.

The defunding of the National Institutes of Health is a major concern for scientists and veterinarians. The NIH assists many medical research facilities with their overhead costs, allowing the institutions to remain focused on their work, but the Trump administration wants to dramatically slash this NIH support. Doing so would "cause a death spiral" for facilities that care for laboratory animals, according to the director of one such facility. If the proposed cuts are made, some institutions might have to euthanize thousands of animals. (See science.org/content/article/death-ax-nih-payments-lawsuit-could-determine-fate-millions-research-animals.)

The USDA’s Livestock Behavior Research Unit, the primary federal lab studying the welfare of farm animals, "has been decimated -- with now just one scientist remaining on staff," reports Sentient Media. (See sentientmedia.org/usda-farm-animal-welfare-research-lab-dismantled.)

This underscores the lack of compassion in the executive branch -- a lack that civil society must confront and rectify.

LIVE POULTRY OUTLETS IN NEW YORK CITIES CLOSED

On Feb. 7, New York Gov. Kathy Hochul issued an order to temporarily close live bird markets after cases of avian influenza were detected in seven markets in Queens, Brooklyn and the Bronx. The closures apply to all bird markets, including those that did not report any cases, in New York City and in Westchester, Suffolk and Nassau counties.

To this, I say "about bloody time," and that these markets should never reopen.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)

DEAR DR. FOX: You have written about many serious political issues arising from the Trump administration. This is my question: How can those of us who care make a difference? I feel so helpless. It is all very depressing. -- B.K., Washington, D.C.

DEAR B.K.: These are challenging times for all who bear the burden of empathy. Even so, we can all do something to live conscientiously, benevolently and mindfully, and to beat depression and despair.

First, stay informed. Read attorney Jim Mason’s book “Madness” (see review below) and my book “One Health.” Visit Project Drawdown (drawdown.org) to find more sustainable ways to live.

Cut down on the time you spend on social media and gaming, and drop energy-consuming cybercurrency transactions entirely. Find alternatives to plastic food containers and grocery bags. Avoid plastic toys for infants and children. If you have a garden or lawn, get a permit to rewild it with indigenous grasses, flowers, shrubs and trees, and don’t use pesticides on your property.

Substitute videoconferencing for business travel. As for pleasure travel, there is some benefit to taking eco-tours in countries with high biodiversity. This supports local businesses that benefit from, and have an incentive to protect, their countries’ ecosystems. It also persuades policymakers that there is economic gain in taking positions against extractive industries.

Buy less, waste less, recycle, repair and donate to the needy. Give to nonprofit organizations such as Greenpeace, Project Coyote, the Environmental Working Group and Friends of the Earth. Consider helping local charities or volunteering at your local animal shelter.

Reduce (ideally, eliminate) your consumption of alcohol and highly processed foods. Salt- and fat-laden snacks and sugary beverages are metabolic disruptors. Prepare your own meals with organically certified fruits, nuts, grains and vegetables. Consider the suffering and environmental impact of animal factories and feedlots, and go vegan -- or at least vegetarian. I will guarantee the physical and mental health benefits!

Adopt a cat or a dog and spend quality time outdoors. Walk, walk, walk. Take up birdwatching and use your smartphone to identify wild plants and birdsongs. Pick up a musical instrument and jam with friends.

Join hands with others, nationally and internationally, who embrace equalitarianism, social and ecological justice and planetary CPR: conservation, protection and restoration.

If we are not willing and able to die for what and whom we love, then what purpose do we have? Be free, harm none, courageously speak truth to power, and celebrate the gifts of life.

BOOK REVIEW: ‘MADNESS’ BY JIM MASON

“Madness: The Deep Driver of Our Climate Crisis; Lessons From My Family Farm” by Jim Mason

Attorney and author Mason vividly details his emotionally traumatic experiences of how animals were treated and killed while growing up on a farm, and how he became desensitized to their suffering. He expands on these memories to outline how the domestication, eventual confinement and increasing slaughter of animals for food and other commercial purposes -- along with the wholesale exploitation and desecration of nature -- have been the norm for civilizations past and present.

Humans have now reached the point, because of our numbers and the billions of animals raised for our consumption, where these norms have caused climate and extinction crises. This book explains this collective madness in succinct detail and offers solutions we should all embrace.

All who care about animals and nature will appreciate this contribution to understanding our planetary responsibilities. Those who care mainly about their own health and well-being should still follow Mason’s journey and discover the healing power of empathy and compassion for all creatures great and small.

(Send all mail to animaldocfox@gmail.com or to Dr. Michael Fox in care of Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106. The volume of mail received prohibits personal replies, but questions and comments of general interest will be discussed in future columns.

Visit Dr. Fox’s website at DrFoxOneHealth.com.)