Jonathan Balcombe is a British-born ethologist, editor, and author known for his work on animal behavior, sentience, and the human-animal relationship. Raised in New Zealand and Canada before settling in the United States, he studied biology at York University and Carleton University before completing a doctorate in ethology at the University of Tennessee, where he researched vocal communication in Mexican free-tailed bats. Balcombe has worked with several animal protection organizations, including the Humane Society of the United States and Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and later served as Director of Animal Sentience with the Humane Society Institute for Science and Policy. He has written influential books including Pleasurable Kingdom, Second Nature, The Exultant Ark, and What A Fish Knows, blending scientific research with accessible storytelling about animal cognition and emotion. Alongside publishing scholarly articles and lectures worldwide, he has remained active in advocacy for animal welfare, conservation, and veganism for decades.