Eavesdropping on Animals

"This book is fabulous and takes you close inside the wild world, where you feel the creatures whispering your old name."—Craig Foster, My Octopus Teacher

Learn how to decode the secret conversations of wild animals all around you.

From a Yellowstone naturalist and renowned expert in animal language comes “an engaging guide to a world of wonders hiding in plain sight.” (Peter Wohlleben, New York Times bestselling author of The Hidden Life of Trees).

Humans once relied on the calls of wild animals to understand the natural world and their place within it. Now, this remarkable guide reveals what our ancestors knew long ago—that tuning in to the owl in the tree, the deer in the gully, can tell us important information and help us feel connected to our wild community.

In Eavesdropping on Animals, George Bumann shares the fascinating stories and insights he has gained from studying wildlife around the world for more than forty years, the last twenty of which have been spent leading popular programs on animal language and intelligence in Yellowstone National Park. Bumann shares tips, tricks, and advice for readers living in urban, suburban and rural areas and clearly shows us that you don’t need an exotic vacation or a biology degree to have transformative wildlife encounters. Listening to and observing creatures in your own backyard, on nearby trails, and in local parks, seashores, fields, and forests can lead to extraordinary experiences and a profound sense of belonging.

Are you ready to eavesdrop on your wild neighbors? Are you ready to learn how to tell a warning call from a mating call, a purr of satisfaction from idle chatter? Then this book is for you!

George Bumann (rhymes with ‘human’) is an animal language expert, artist, and naturalist living with his wife, son, and black Labrador at the northern entrance of Yellowstone National Park. With a background in wildlife ecology and field experience spanning four decades from across the globe, Bumann explores the lives of his wild neighbors and tells their stories through his teachings and bronze sculpture—often depicting individual animals he’s known for days, months, years, and even, generations.

His art and educational programming have appeared in the Salt Lake City Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Sacramento Bee, and on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Travel Channel, Discovery Channel, and on the TEDx stage. His bronze sculptures reside in public and private collections across North America and around the world. Information about his programs on animal language is available online.

Jon Young grew up in New Jersey and was mentored from the age of ten as a naturalist and tracker by a master tracker into his early adulthood. He is passionate about teaching the benefits of connecting deeply with the natural world. He lives in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California.