Picha na Ginger Me
Aibu ni ngumu kutazama. Kwa ufafanuzi, ni hisia ambayo mtu anajaribu kujificha. Lakini mtaalamu maarufu duniani wa primatologist Jane Goodall anaamini kwamba ameona kile kinachoweza kuitwa aibu kwa sokwe.
Fifi alikuwa sokwe jike ambaye Jane alimfahamu kwa zaidi ya miaka 40. Wakati mtoto mkubwa wa Fifi, Freud, alipokuwa na umri wa miaka mitano na nusu, mjomba wake, kaka yake Fifi, Figan, alikuwa mwanamume wa alpha wa jamii ya sokwe wao. Freud kila mara alimfuata Figan kana kwamba anaabudu dume mkubwa.
Wakati mmoja, Fifi alipokuwa akimtunza Figan, Freud alipanda juu ya shina nyembamba ya ndizi mwitu. Alipofika kwenye taji la majani, alianza kuyumbayumba huku na huko. Angekuwa mtoto wa watu, tungesema anajionyesha. Ghafla shina likavunjika na Freud akaanguka kwenye nyasi ndefu. Hakujeruhiwa. Alitua karibu na Jane, na kichwa chake kilipotoka kwenye nyasi alimuona akimtazama Figan. Je, alikuwa ameona? Ikiwa angefanya hivyo, hakujali bali aliendelea kuandaliwa. Freud alipanda mti mwingine kimya kimya na kuanza kulisha.
Mwanasaikolojia wa Chuo Kikuu cha Harvard Marc Hauser aliona kile kinachoweza kuitwa aibu katika tumbili dume aina ya rhesus. Baada ya kujamiiana na jike, mwanamume huyo alitoroka na kwa bahati mbaya akaanguka kwenye shimo. Akasimama na kuangalia huku na kule. Baada ya kuona kwamba hakuna nyani mwingine aliyemwona akianguka, aliondoka, akarudi juu, kichwa na mkia juu, kana kwamba hakuna kilichotokea.
Uokoaji wa Wanyama: Kuhisi Huruma kwa Wale Wanaohitaji
Hadithi kuhusu wanyama kuwaokoa wanyama wao wenyewe na viumbe vingine, ikiwa ni pamoja na wanadamu, ni nyingi. Yanaonyesha jinsi watu wa spishi tofauti wanavyoonyesha huruma na huruma kwa wale wanaohitaji.
Huko Torquay, Australia, baada ya kangaruu mama kugongwa na gari, mbwa aligundua mtoto joey kwenye mfuko wake na kumpeleka kwa mmiliki wake ambaye alimtunza mtoto huyo. Mbwa mwenye umri wa miaka 10 na Joey wa miezi 4 hatimaye wakawa marafiki wakubwa.
Picha na Flickker Picha
Kwenye ufuo wa New Zealand, pomboo mmoja alikuja kuwaokoa nyangumi wawili wa mbegu za pygmy waliokuwa wamekwama nyuma ya sehemu ya mchanga. Baada ya watu kujaribu bila mafanikio kuwaingiza nyangumi hao kwenye kina kirefu cha maji, pomboo huyo alitokea na wale nyangumi wawili wakamfuata tena baharini.
Mbwa pia wanajulikana kwa kusaidia wale wanaohitaji. Mutt wa shimo aliyepotea alivunja jaribio la kuiba mwanamke aliyekuwa akitoka kwenye uwanja wa michezo na mwanawe huko Port Charlotte, Florida. Afisa wa kudhibiti wanyama alisema ni wazi mbwa huyo alikuwa akijaribu kumtetea mwanamke huyo ambaye hakumfahamu. Na nje ya Buenos Aires, Argentina, mbwa alimwokoa mtoto aliyeachwa kwa kumweka salama miongoni mwa watoto wake wachanga. Ajabu, mbwa huyo alimbeba mtoto huyo umbali wa futi 150 hadi walipolala watoto wake baada ya kumgundua mtoto huyo akiwa amefunikwa na kitambaa shambani.
Raven Justice?
Katika kitabu chake, Mind of the Raven , mwanabiolojia na mtaalamu wa kunguru Bernd Heinrich aliona kwamba kunguru hukumbuka mtu ambaye mara kwa mara huvamia hifadhi zao wakimkamata akifanya hivyo. Wakati mwingine kunguru atajiunga na kushambulia mvamizi hata kama hakuona hifadhi ikivamiwa.
Je, hii ni maadili? Heinrich inaonekana kufikiri ni. Anasema kuhusu tabia hii, "Ilikuwa kunguru wa kimaadili akitafuta usawa wa kibinadamu wa haki, kwa sababu alitetea maslahi ya kikundi kwa gharama inayoweza kutokea kwake."
Katika majaribio yaliyofuata, Heinrich alithibitisha kwamba maslahi ya kikundi yanaweza kuendesha kile ambacho kunguru anaamua kufanya. Kunguru na wanyama wengine wengi wanaishi kwa kanuni za kijamii zinazopendelea haki na haki.
COMMUNITY REFLECTIONS
SHARE YOUR REFLECTION
14 PAST RESPONSES
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.