Australia as a nation and people has an appalling record in its relations with the animal realm. The widespread practice of mulesing, and its barbarous live export trade, for example, have seen it consistently condemned internationally, and its species extinction rate is amongst the highest in the world. And yet, paradoxically, Australia has produced or found itself host to numerous key thinkers in the field of human/animal relations. This issue of Southerly focuses on The Animal in Australian thought.