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Can Animals Show
Emotions?
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A friend of mine commented on a piece by me wherein I had depicted wild
animals showing emotions as we humans do. His point was that the humans
tend to attribute human emotions to animals and err. I wrote back to
him saying this: "I find obliged to say some thing on how animals behave if they are
subjected to continuous and irritating human presence. The wild animals of
Sariska gather near the artificial waterhole as soon as they hear the
clink-clank of a water tanker approaching.
A tourist friendly or as
you say - 'indifferent' tiger in Bandhavgarh suddenly leaps into a
tourist jeep and punishes some tiger hungry tourists.
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As you would say
this type of behavoiur is quite unbecoming of wild animals but
unfortunately the most vicious animal on earth has coerced them to imitate
human traits. So, it is quite romantic and poetic (as well as prize
winning) to depict animals as unemotional , instinct driven robots created
by God but some of us also must remind human beings - mend your ways and
show some respect to wild brethrens, we too were roaming in the woods
naked not very far back in time.
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I think all animals that the Almighty has bestowed with a brain
cavity and some amount of grey cells, have feelings and emotions. Some
people even believe that plants, without apparently anything similar
to brain, too, show emotional response to music. This planet is a
strange place and we humans have limited abilities (we can hear only
within a range of a wave lengths beyond that we call them ultra or
infra Sonics which we cannot hear, we can only see up to a certain
distance and can see only in day light or artificially created light).
Till recently no body knew that elephants communicate with each other
with infrasonic waves that travel for several miles. |
An acacia species that
grows in South Africa sends 'scent alarm' signals to other trees down hill
whenever humans attack them with axe.
My dog throws tantrums if I punish him without any solid reason, he
would sulk and refuse to eat even his most favourite food. My neighbour's
cat purrs whenever she is fondled and caressed. A dog travels a thousand
mile to reach his separated master. Dear friend, we human tend to think
that nothing living or dead is superior to humans and therefore they
believe that - "thinking, feelings and emotions" are prized assets of
humans only. Other living things are just 'creature' with instincts. We
just forget that man too was a wild creature not too long ago in the
geological history of this planet.
Contributing Writer:
Suhas Kumar, I am an old man who has seen
52 winters so far. I work as a wildlife professional with the government.
And like to speak out on behalf of animals who cannot speak in English or
any other human language.
@ Suhas Kumar Bhopal
sukum48@rediff.com
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