Foto de Ginger Me
La vergüenza es difícil de observar. Por definición, es un sentimiento que uno intenta ocultar. Pero la mundialmente famosa primatóloga Jane Goodall cree haber observado lo que podría llamarse vergüenza en chimpancés.
Fifi era una chimpancé hembra a quien Jane conoció durante más de 40 años. Cuando Freud, su hijo mayor, tenía cinco años y medio, su tío, Figan, hermano de Fifi, era el macho alfa de su comunidad de chimpancés. Freud siempre seguía a Figan como si venerara al gran macho.
Una vez, mientras Fifi acicalaba a Figan, Freud trepó al delgado tallo de un plátano silvestre. Al llegar a la copa frondosa, empezó a balancearse violentamente. Si hubiera sido un niño, habríamos dicho que estaba presumiendo. De repente, el tallo se rompió y Freud cayó sobre la hierba alta. No se lastimó. Aterrizó cerca de Jane, y al asomar la cabeza, ella lo vio mirar a Figan. ¿Se habría dado cuenta? Si lo hizo, no le prestó atención, sino que siguió siendo acicalado. Freud, muy silenciosamente, trepó a otro árbol y empezó a comer.
Marc Hauser, psicólogo de la Universidad de Harvard, observó lo que podría llamarse vergüenza en un mono rhesus macho. Tras aparearse con una hembra, el macho se alejó pavoneándose y cayó accidentalmente en una zanja. Se levantó y miró rápidamente a su alrededor. Tras comprobar que ningún otro mono lo vio caer, se marchó con la espalda en alto, la cabeza y la cola erguidas, como si nada hubiera pasado.
Rescates de animales: Sentir compasión por los necesitados
Abundan las historias de animales que rescatan a miembros de su propia especie y de otras, incluyendo a los humanos. Muestran cómo individuos de diferentes especies muestran compasión y empatía por quienes los necesitan.
En Torquay, Australia, después de que una madre canguro fuera atropellada por un coche, un perro encontró a una cría de canguro en su bolsa y se la llevó a su dueño, quien cuidó de la pequeña. La perra de 10 años y la cría de 4 meses con el tiempo se hicieron mejores amigos.
Fotografía de Flickker Photos
En una playa de Nueva Zelanda, un delfín acudió al rescate de dos cachalotes pigmeos varados tras un banco de arena. Tras varios intentos infructuosos de llevar a los cachalotes a aguas más profundas, el delfín apareció y los dos cachalotes lo siguieron de vuelta al océano.
Los perros también son conocidos por ayudar a los necesitados. Un pitbull extraviado frenó un intento de asalto a una mujer que salía de un parque con su hijo en Port Charlotte, Florida. Un agente de control de animales dijo que era evidente que el perro intentaba defender a la mujer, a quien no conocía. Y en las afueras de Buenos Aires, Argentina, una perra rescató a un bebé abandonado colocándolo sano y salvo entre sus cachorros recién nacidos. Sorprendentemente, la perra cargó al bebé unos 45 metros hasta donde yacían sus cachorros tras encontrarlo cubierto con un trapo en un campo.
¿Justicia del cuervo?
En su libro, La Mente del Cuervo , el biólogo y experto en cuervos Bernd Heinrich observó que estos recuerdan a un individuo que asalta constantemente sus escondites si lo sorprenden en el acto. A veces, un cuervo se une al ataque de un intruso incluso si no vio el asalto.
¿Es esto moral? Heinrich parece creerlo. Dice sobre este comportamiento: «Era un cuervo moral que buscaba el equivalente humano de la justicia, porque defendía los intereses del grupo a un posible coste para sí mismo».
En experimentos posteriores, Heinrich confirmó que los intereses grupales podían determinar las decisiones de cada cuervo. Los cuervos, como muchos otros animales, se rigen por normas sociales que favorecen la equidad y la justicia.
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We who 'know' always knew the animal kindom were far more aware than the controlling factions wanted us to believe....we felt their suffering, we shared their love, we understood their unspoken language. God truly exists in all living things. Very nice article - thanks for sharing!
When I was 12 years old, my horse had a stroke and had to be put down. I looked out the window at his body, lifeless and lying in the corral. I watched as Socks, the matriarch of the barn cats, walked towards the body, followed by a single-file line of the other dozen-or-so kittens and cats. Watching from inside the house I thought, "Oh no, they're going to eat him." But I didn't interrupt. When the slow parade reached the body, the cats sat down about two feet away, in an arc, smelling and looking. After some time Socks stood up, turned around and walked back to the barn, followed in orderly procession by the others.
Even 30 years later I am touched by this memory.
This horse (Bourbon Jim was his name) had been a huge high-strung Thoroughbred, but he was gentle and considerate with the cats. Once when I came home from school I found three kittens on his back. I couldn't figure how they got up there. This kept happening until one day I saw: The little kittens, with their sharp little kitten claws, were climbing up his front legs and up over his sides to sit atop his back. Bourbon didn't even flinch.
[Hide Full Comment]Thank you for dispelling the myth we have all been told. Everything we do influences every living being. It is time we all kept ourselves conscious of this. Thank you so much!
About the same time we adopted the silver-grey kitten, Griffin, we also adopted a white rabbit, Angel. They were kit and kitten together and played all summer in the back yard. Angel was a house-rabbit. In the fall, I bunny-proofed my office for him, and put a baby-gate at the door, so he couldn't get to the rest of the house. Since I don't like the cold, Angel didn't get to go out much, but Griffin continued to play with him inside.
In the early spring, Griffin once showed up at the back door with a huge pile of leaves in his mouth, bigger than his head. He zipped right by me and took off down the hall toward my office. Griffin jumped over the gate and ran to the bunny. I was freaking out, thinking he had a mouse in his mouth along with all those leaves. But no, he just dumped the leaves on the floor in front of Angel. No mouse, thankfully. Then Griffin waited for Angel to react. I think the bunny was as confused as me. So Griffin rolled in the leaves, with his belly in the air. I could almost hear him saying: "Since you couldn’t come outside with me, I brought spring in to you." And Angel jumped in the leaves with him.
[Hide Full Comment]How lovely. Animals are the best of teachers. They live lovingly and ask so little in return. Surely there are animals in heaven. Would it be heaven if there were no animals? Perhaps all beings who are loved, animal and human with join after this life on planet earth is complete for for a magnificent heavenly reunion, and we will continue our work and play in the presence of the great I AM.
Yes Animals are intelligent and have emotional lives but that does not mean I have to love all dogs or all other animals. Some of them are simply unlovable, just like some humans. The pitbulls who killed the six year old boy coming back from school in switzerland were certainly not lovable.
It is only the arrogant among us who claim a special status for our own, based on such superficial considerations as ethnicity, culture, color of skin, gender or having a human body.
The compassionate have always known that we are all children of the same source. We are unique and different in many ways but that does not make us superior than others.
We need no scientific research to tell us this fundamental truth.
AN EXCELLENT AND VERY KNOWLEDGABLE ARTICLE WHICH HAS INDEED CHANGED THE WAY OF THINKING ABOUT ANIMALS
EDWARD
DELHI (INDIA)
I always said animals are way better then humans! Loyality, unconditional love and they never intentionally break our hearts. God sent them here so would we know good.
where are the citations/references for the scientific research?
Yes, I agree with the comment of Womanswork below: as someone who spends the majority of their time with eight companion animals, including a parrot, I can attest to the fact that they exhibit feelings of joy, sadness, insecurity, jealousy and envy, among a range of other emotions. And the best thing is, they don't hide these feelings; they're writ large for all to see, if in fact one is willing to see...it's so much better than the emotional dissembling of humans.
Oh my, if only animals could use "words" and tell us more ......perhaps then we would listen....we dont seem to hear their needs at all by their body language etc....How "dumb" are we humans really, when we dont treat our fellow creatures with more respect , love and appreciation,
I have watched my grandsons dalmation watch my grandsons shadow to see "where" he is going to throw the ball that he is hiding behind his back....I tested him 3 times couldnt believe his intelligence , how pathetic of me!!!!!!
How DO we get people to understand this about animals? I do not know. thank you for sharing all this wonderful information.....
Finally, Science is catching up to what I and many others have known forever! To think animals don't feel or think is the height of elitism
When I take my morning walks and observe nature I often think we are at the bottom of the chain. I am in awe of trees. The are so present they no longer need to move. They feed themselves from above and below and in the fall the leaves they shed create more nutrients for themselves and others.