LEARNING FROM THE ANIMALS

I am fascinated by intraspecies and interspecies communication and cooperation among the multitudinous members of the animal kingdom.

I sat spellbound as I watched a video of a couple of swans feeding breadcrumbs to catfish which poked their heads out of the water to receive the unexpected treat.

Then there is the case of the elephant and the dog which have befriended each other on a piece of property on which retired circus animals have been given sanctuary. One never sees the big one without the little one. Where one goes the other goes. Where one walks the other walks along side. As time progressed the old pooch developed a serious medical condition, and was unable to accompany the grieving pachyderm for several weeks. As a result, the latter lingered next to the keeper’s house for hours each day; in hopes his furry friend would glance out the window.

I was watching a nature video recently and observed one of the most amazing interspecies interactions of all time. (At least my time). A little monkey is seated on the branch of a tree, and it is apparent that his mother has either deserted him, or a hungry predator has eaten her for dinner. Suddenly, a leopard appears, grabs the tiny tot in her mouth, and climbs higher in the tree. When all hope seems lost the powerful cat…begins licking the face of the little primate. And while the fate of the anxious orphan is all but certain, since the leopard has no way of nourishing and sustaining her newfound plaything, the momentary relationship is nothing less than astonishing.

Pt. 2

I absolutely deplore those “Please Help the Pitiful Homeless Critters” commercials, (though I have a heart as big as all outdoors for the dogs and cats which are featured in these particular ads). I simply can’t tolerate footage of a scrawny pit bull chained to a chain link fence and lying mournfully in the snow; as if he has surrendered himself to his destiny. I mean, I am all too aware that people behave themselves this way towards animals. I don’t have to see it in living color.

All this to say I think animals often treat one another better than God’s “most noble” creation, mankind, treats them. However, as I was watching a wildlife documentary tonight, I was “all geared up” to view an exception to this rule.

Another monkey has, inexplicably, been left homeless, and sits shivering by a tree. He folds his arms around himself, swings his head in an arch, and realizes he is desperately alone. And I am very close to deciding that I regret having flipped to this channel and documentary… when suddenly five or six adult male monkeys show up.

And, of course, I’m thinking it just went from bad to worse since monkeys have, at times, been prone to practice “monkeycide.” (My terminology). However, contrary to my expectations the male troop befriend the little fella, and before long it seems apparent that the tiny simian has been accepted, until…each and every one of the adult primates scamper up a nearby tree; leaving Junior to his own defenses.

Of course, the little orphan does his best to keep up, and begins to climb up after them. But his little arms and legs are simply no match for the thick, angular trunk of the tree, and he finds himself at a vertical impasse. Suddenly, the video camera brings the whimpering monkey yet closer, and just above his head…a furry hand! Junior doesn’t wait for an engraved invitation, but grasps the hand, and is pulled to safety.

I think we could learn a great deal from the “dumb animals."

by William McDonald, PhD. Copyright Pending

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