Introduction

Humans have had a long and close relationship with non-human animals. They have hunted them, domesticated them, consumed them as food, exploited them as sources of energy, adopted them as companions, exhibited them for entertainment and devoted time to studying them. Animals have simultaneously played a central role in the development of human society, helping them to plough fields, win wars, engage in trade and forge empires. The introduction provides an overview of human–animal interactions over time and highlights four key turning points in this relationship: the human domestication of other species; the accelerated translocation of animals across the globe from the sixteenth century; the changes brought about by industrialisation in the nineteenth century; and, most recently, the impacts of globalisation. It also discusses the methodological challenges posed by studying animal history, outlining the varied sources used by historians and the different approaches they have taken.