Foto por Ginger Me
O constrangimento é difícil de observar. Por definição, é um sentimento que se tenta esconder. Mas a primatóloga mundialmente famosa Jane Goodall acredita ter observado o que poderia ser chamado de constrangimento em chimpanzés.
Fifi era uma chimpanzé fêmea que Jane conhecia há mais de 40 anos. Quando o filho mais velho de Fifi, Freud, tinha cinco anos e meio, seu tio, Figan, irmão de Fifi, era o macho alfa da comunidade de chimpanzés. Freud sempre seguia Figan como se venerasse o macho dominante.
Certa vez, enquanto Fifi escovava Figan, Freud subiu pelo fino caule de uma bananeira-brava. Ao alcançar a copa frondosa, começou a balançar-se descontroladamente para frente e para trás. Se fosse uma criança humana, diríamos que estava se exibindo. De repente, o caule quebrou e Freud caiu na grama alta. Ele não se machucou. Aterrissou perto de Jane, e quando sua cabeça emergiu da grama, ela o viu olhar para Figan. Será que ele havia percebido? Se percebeu, não deu atenção e continuou sendo escovado. Freud subiu silenciosamente em outra árvore e começou a se alimentar.
O psicólogo Marc Hauser, da Universidade de Harvard, observou o que poderia ser chamado de constrangimento em um macaco rhesus macho. Após acasalar com uma fêmea, o macho se afastou pavoneando-se e acidentalmente caiu em uma vala. Ele se levantou e olhou rapidamente ao redor. Ao perceber que nenhum outro macaco o viu cair, ele se afastou, com as costas erguidas, a cabeça e o rabo levantados, como se nada tivesse acontecido.
Resgate de animais: Sentindo compaixão por aqueles que precisam
Abundam histórias de animais que resgatam membros de sua própria espécie e de outras, incluindo humanos. Elas mostram como indivíduos de diferentes espécies demonstram compaixão e empatia por aqueles que precisam de ajuda.
Em Torquay, na Austrália, depois que uma mãe canguru foi atropelada, um cachorro encontrou um filhote em sua bolsa e o levou para seu dono, que cuidou do pequeno. O cachorro de 10 anos e o filhote de 4 meses acabaram se tornando melhores amigos.
Foto por Flickr Photos
Em uma praia da Nova Zelândia, um golfinho salvou duas baleias-pigmeias que estavam encalhadas atrás de um banco de areia. Depois que as pessoas tentaram em vão levar as baleias para águas mais profundas, o golfinho apareceu e as duas baleias o seguiram de volta para o oceano.
Os cães também são conhecidos por ajudar quem precisa. Um pitbull perdido impediu uma tentativa de assalto a uma mulher que saía de um parquinho com o filho em Port Charlotte, na Flórida. Um agente de controle de animais disse que era evidente que o cão estava tentando defender a mulher, que ele não conhecia. E nos arredores de Buenos Aires, na Argentina, uma cadela resgatou um bebê abandonado, colocando-o em segurança entre seus próprios filhotes recém-nascidos. Incrivelmente, a cadela carregou o bebê por cerca de 45 metros até onde seus filhotes estavam, depois de encontrar o bebê coberto por um pano em um campo.
Raven Justice?
Em seu livro, A Mente do Corvo , o biólogo e especialista em corvos Bernd Heinrich observou que os corvos se lembram de um indivíduo que ataca seus esconderijos constantemente se o flagrarem em flagrante. Às vezes, um corvo se junta ao ataque contra um intruso mesmo que não tenha visto o esconderijo sendo saqueado.
Isso é moral? Heinrich parece acreditar que sim. Ele diz sobre esse comportamento: "Era um corvo moral buscando o equivalente humano da justiça, porque defendia os interesses do grupo a um custo potencial para si mesmo."
Em experimentos subsequentes, Heinrich confirmou que os interesses do grupo podiam influenciar as decisões de um corvo individual. Os corvos, assim como muitos outros animais, vivem segundo normas sociais que priorizam a equidade e a justiça.
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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.