Jonathan Balcombe was born in England and raised in New Zealand and Canada. He studied biology in Canada before earning a PhD in ethology (animal behavior) from the University of Tennessee. He is the author of three popular books on animals: Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good (2006), Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals (2010), and The Exultant Ark: A Pictorial Tour of Animal Pleasure (May 2011). Dr. Balcombe is the Animal Studies Department Chair for Humane Society University. In his spare time he enjoys nature-watching, biking, piano, vegan cooking and trying to understand his two cats. Dr. Balcombe is available as a environmental keynote and event speaker with Macmillan Speakers Bureau.