Avtor fotografije Ginger Me
Zadrego je težko opaziti. Po definiciji je to občutek, ki ga skušamo skriti. Toda svetovno znana primatologinja Jane Goodall verjame, da je pri šimpanzih opazila nekaj, čemur bi lahko rekli zadrega.
Fifi je bila samica šimpanza, ki jo je Jane poznala več kot 40 let. Ko je bil Fifijin najstarejši otrok Freud star pet let in pol, je bil njegov stric, Fifijin brat Figan, alfa samec njihove skupnosti šimpanzov. Freud je vedno sledil Figanu, kot da bi častil velikega samca.
Nekoč, ko je Fifi negovala Figan, je Freud splezal na tanko steblo divjega trpotca. Ko je dosegel listnato krošnjo, se je začel divje zibati naprej in nazaj. Če bi bil človeški otrok, bi rekli, da se razkazuje. Nenadoma se je steblo zlomilo in Freud je padel v dolgo travo. Ni bil poškodovan. Pristal je blizu Jane in ko je njegova glava dvignila iz trave, ga je videla, kako je pogledal Figana. Ali je opazil? Če že, ni bil pozoren, ampak se je še naprej urejal. Freud je zelo tiho splezal na drugo drevo in se začel hraniti.
Psiholog Marc Hauser z univerze Harvard je opazoval nekaj, čemur bi lahko rekli zadrega pri samcu opice rezus. Samec je po parjenju s samico švignil stran in po nesreči padel v jarek. Vstal je in se hitro ozrl. Potem ko je začutil, da nobena druga opica ni videla, da bi se prevrnil, je odkorakal, visoko na hrbtu, z dvignjeno glavo in repom, kot da se ni nič zgodilo.
Reševanje živali: sočutje do tistih v stiski
Zgodb o živalih, ki rešujejo pripadnike svoje in drugih vrst, tudi ljudi, je ogromno. Prikazujejo, kako posamezniki različnih vrst izkazujejo sočutje in empatijo do tistih v stiski.
V Torquayju v Avstraliji je pes po tem, ko je mamo kengurujko zbil avto, v njeni torbi odkril mladiča joeyja in ga odnesel svojemu lastniku, ki je skrbel za mladiča. 10-letni pes in 4-mesečni joey sta sčasoma postala najboljša prijatelja.
Fotografija Flickker Photos
Na plaži v Novi Zelandiji je delfin priskočil na pomoč dvema pritlikavima kitoma senatoma, ki sta nasedla za peščenim barom. Potem ko so ljudje zaman poskušali spraviti kite v globljo vodo, se je pojavil delfin in kita sta mu sledila nazaj v ocean.
Psi so znani tudi po tem, da pomagajo tistim v stiski. Izgubljeni mladiček iz pitbula je prekinil poskus ropa ženske, ki je s sinom zapustila igrišče v Port Charlotte na Floridi. Policist za nadzor živali je dejal, da je očitno pes poskušal braniti žensko, ki je ni poznal. Zunaj Buenos Airesa v Argentini je pes rešil zapuščenega dojenčka tako, da ga je varno postavil med svoje lastne novorojene mladičke. Neverjetno, pes je otroka odnesel približno 150 čevljev do mesta, kjer so ležali njeni mladički, potem ko je na polju odkril otroka, pokritega s cunjo.
Raven Justice?
Biolog in strokovnjak za krokare Bernd Heinrich je v svoji knjigi Mind of the Raven opazil, da si krokarji zapomnijo posameznika, ki dosledno napada njihove zaklade, če ga ujamejo pri dejanju. Včasih se bo krokar pridružil napadu na vsiljivca, tudi če ni videl vdora v predpomnilnik.
Je to moralno? Zdi se, da Heinrich misli, da je. O tem vedenju pravi: "Bil je moralni krokar, ki je iskal človeški ekvivalent pravice, ker je branil interese skupine s potencialno ceno za sebe."
V poznejših poskusih je Heinrich potrdil, da lahko skupinski interesi vplivajo na odločitev posameznega krokarja. Krokarji in številne druge živali živijo po družbenih normah, ki dajejo prednost poštenosti in pravičnosti.
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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.