Helen Cowie is Professor of modern History at the University of York. Her research focuses on the history of animals and the history of natural history, with a particular focus on the history of zoos, exotic pets and the use of animals products in fashion. She is author or Conquering Nature in Spain and its Empire, 1750-1850 (2011), Exhibiting Animals in Nineteenth-Century Britain: Empathy, Education, Entertainment (2014), Llama (2017) and Victims of Fashion: Animal Commodities in Victorian Britain (2022).