Contemporary French literature displays a particular interest in the presence of animals and the way in which animals coexist with humans. This contribution focuses on questioning this coexistence in times of crisis and ecological change, particularly when their habitat is altered by human intervention. Our reading aims to analyze and shed light on animals’ emotions, the nature of their thoughts about the world, and their awareness. At the same time, we focus on studying their status as main subjects, and the way in which they express their feelings and mental states through language. We are particularly interested in how Édouard Bureau’s novel, La Grande Vallée, fits into a narrative project that bears witness to “the end of the human exception” (Jean-Marie Schaeffer) and highlights animal thinking as “poetic thinking” (Jacques Derrida). Ultimately, we aim to illustrate how the novel addresses the feelings and behaviors of animals during ecological crises.