At the Portland Veg Fest (9/17/11 at the Convention Center), I enjoyed finding this message in my after-lunch vegan fortune cookie: “Water a plant at the roots not on top of the leaves only.”

The Veg Fest was fantastic but the real thrill for Debra and me was a warm reunion with Wayne Pacelle. Wayne is the President of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and author of The Bond: our kinship with animals, our call to defend them.[1]

In his book and in his work, Wayne waters the plant of our human sympathy at the roots—our hearts and minds. We listened raptly to Wayne speak. He signed our copy of his book. He is a true inspiration for the cause of ending cruelty to animals—a cause that the Bentari Project is dedicated to upholding.

Jane Goodall’s[2] endorsement tops the list on the cover: “The Bond is rich with fascinating, deeply moving, and sometimes deeply disturbing descriptions of our relationship with animals. Inspired by a great compassion for all our fellow animals, it is thought-provoking, and for some it will be thought-changing. If the animals knew about this important book they would, without doubt, confer on Wayne their highest honor.”

Some of the important animal players in Bentari are: a lioness, a gorilla, the hyrax, mangabey monkeys, giraffes, secretary birds, the kite, the hawk, a pharaoh’s eagle owl, a leopard, a swamp adder and the all-important supporting roles of the crocodile, the plover and the hamerkop.

Here is an example, a brief exchange between Bentari and his mother, that foretells the coming strife—men at arms in conflict. See ch. 10 “The Crocodile and the Plover”:

“Do you remember what wise crocodiles do when they sense the river rising?” she asked with a teasing challenge as she served him up his bowl of stew.

“Of course, Mother,” he answered right away. “They swim upstream to find a pool beneath a waterfall.”

The story wouldn’t work without many crucial cameo appearances by our fellow living creatures. We know that our web of life, our planet’s existence, will not work without all the pieces thriving within their balanced places.

Gandhi said it. Many of us know it. Wayne Pacelle and all of HSUS live by it. "The measure of a society can be how well its people treat its animals."

[1] Meet Wayne: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yVLUDlijwuo

[2] Hear Jane speak in this blog at: http://www.bentari.com/Blog/Entry.aspx?pid=276&bid=51&beid=751