8/18/2019 All You Know About Animals is Wrong

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Everything you think you know about

animals is wrong

January 15, 2014 | Filed under: Life, News,Rights,Wild Life | Psted !y: "#hie $%&da' 

(y: "#hie $%&da',

True Activist.

)u'an !eings are the 'st intelligent, and therefre i'#rtant, f all the wrld*s s#e%ies, right+

We desere ur su#erir status er ther ani'als !e%ause f the fllwing s%ientifi% truths: that

nly hu'ans are self-aware and feel e'#athy, that we are uni.ue in ur a!ilities t use languageand tls, that nly we %an re%gni/e urseles in a 'irrr and understand the #assing f ti'e

(ut adan%es in %gnitie ethlgy the s%ientifi% study f ani'al intelligen%e, e'tins,

 !ehairs, and s%ial life hae nw dis#red these *truths*, shwing that 'any ther %reatures

als dis#lay a %'#le3 range f e'tins, highly eled %''uni%atin sills, %'#assin frthers, and een intelligen%e that rials- r sur#asses- ur wn hese grund-!reaing studies

fr%e us t as s'e un%'frta!le .uestins a!ut ur #la%e in the wrld, and hae %aused

leading e3#erts t %all fr a radi%al rethin f the way we treat ther ani'als

Communicative mice, kindly rats and compassionate chickens

&'ng the findings are that yes, fish do feel #ain , and nt nly that !ut a%idi% water a%tually

'aes the' nerus 6hi%ens are nt nly ery intelligent, they %an als feel ea%h ther*s  #ain and de'nstrate #hysilgi%al signs f %n%ern and distress at the suffering f their yung

"i'ilar %n%lusins were drawn in a %ruel study f 'i%e wh were dused in a%id Nt nly werethe e'#athi% rdents 're sensitie t the #ain f their #eers than t their own agny, !ut

resear%hers als suggested they 7'ight !e taling t ea%h ther8 a!ut their #ain, t ae a

''ent t let that sin in9

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&nd while rats dn*t hae the !est f re#utatins, there is 'u%h resear%h t suggest they t are

%'#assinate, %''uni%atie and highly intelligent ne gru# f s%ientists fund that, gien

the %hi%e, rats #refer  t free thers fr' a %age rather than hel# the'seles t %andy What*s're, the rats had nt !een taught t #en the %ages in adan%e Resear%her Peggy $asn nted:

7hat was ery %'#elling 9 ;t said t us that essentially hel#ing their %age'ate is n a #ar with

%h%late )e %an hg the entire %h%late stash if he wanted t, and he des nt We weresh%ed8

lder studies fr' the 1<50s and =0s fund that !th rats and rhesus 'neys will refuse t #ull

a fd leer if it results in an ele%tri% sh% fr anther gru# 'e'!er ne 'ney went

withut fd fr 12 days rather than hurt ne f his #eers &nther resear%her wh wasatte'#ting t free tw !a!y 'i%e tra##ed in a sin  nted hw the strnger rdent shwed

%n%ern fr his e3hausted friend, een %arrying fd t hi' until he was strng enugh t 'e

"'e f the 'st heart-war'ing tales f e3#ressie le and e'#athy %'e fr' the great a#es,

ur %lsest relaties $ral #hils#her $ar Rwlands re%unts the fllwing:

6hi'#s in the 6a'ern 'urn the #assing f their friend >rthy, %t!er 200< (ut why des

this *hu'an-lie*!ehair sur#rise us+ 6R?>;: $ni%a "/%/u#ider, >aily $ail

7(inti Jua, a grilla residing at (rfield @ in ;llinis, had her 15 'inutes f fa'e in 1<<=

when she %a'e t the aid f a three-year-ld !y wh had %li'!ed n t the wall f the grilla

en%lsure and fallen fie 'eters nt the %n%rete flr !elw (inti Jua lifted the un%ns%ius !y, gently %radled hi' in her ar's, and grwled warnings at ther grillas that tried t get %lse

hen, while her wn infant %lung t her !a%, she %arried the !y t the / staff waiting at an

a%%ess gate8

)e als tells the stry f Auni, a %a#tie (n! %hi'#an/ee in the BA: 7ne day, Aunien%untered a starling that had !een stunned during s'e 'isadenture Auni #i%ed u# the

starling with ne hand, and %li'!ed t the t# f the highest tree in her en%lsure, wra##ing her

legs arund the trun s that she had !th hands free t hld the !ird "he then %arefully

unflded its wings and s#read the' wide #en "he threw the !ird as hard as she %uld twardsthe !arrier f the en%lsure Bnfrtunately, it didnCt wae u#, and landed n the !an f the

en%lsureCs 'at While her res%ue atte'#t didnCt su%%eed, Auni %ertainly see'ed t a%t with

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gd intentins, and tried t 'ae a'ends !y guarding the ulnera!le, un%ns%ius !ird fr' a

%urius Duenile fr .uite s'e ti'e8

Love, empathy…and some strange animal friendships

Rwlands argues that hu'ans a!slutely d not  hae the 'n#ly n 'ral !ehair if weeer did he sheer nu'!er f in%redi!le stries t !a% u# his %lai' is i'#ssi!le t detail in

ne arti%le, !ut here are s'e 're e3a'#les, su''ari/ed !y $ar% (eff  Ph>, award-winning

s%ientist, authr and %-funder f ?thlgists fr the ?thi%al reat'ent f &ni'als : 7& teenagefe'ale ele#hant nursing an inDured leg is n%ed er !y a teenage 'ale &n lder fe'ale sees

this ha##en, %hases the 'ale away, and ges !a% t the yunger fe'ale and tu%hes her sre leg

with her trun ?leen ele#hants res%ue a gru# f %a#tie antel#e in Awa@ula-NatalE the'atriar%h ele#hant undes all f the lat%hes n the gates f the en%lsure with her trun and lets

the gate swing #en s the antel#e %an es%a#e & 'ale >iana 'ney wh learned t insert a

ten int a slt t !tain fd hel#s a fe'ale wh %anCt get the hang f the tri%, inserting the

ten fr her and allwing her t eat the fd reward & fe'ale fruit-eating !at hel#s an unrelated

fe'ale gie !irth !y shwing her hw t hang in the #r#er way & %at na'ed Li!!y leads herelderly deaf and !lind dg friend, 6ashew, away fr' !sta%les and t fd ;n a gru# f

%hi'#an/ees at the &rnhe' @ in he Netherlands indiiduals #unish ther %hi'#an/ees whare late fr dinner !e%ause n ne eats until theyCre all #resent8

&ni'als %an hae sur#rising !edfellws6R?>;: 3a3r%'

7> these e3a'#les shw that ani'als dis#lay 'ral !ehair, that they %an !e %'#assinate,

altruisti%, and fair+8 &ss (eff 7es, they d &ni'als nt nly hae a sense f Dusti%e, !ut

als a sense f e'#athy, frgieness, trust, re%i#r%ity, and 'u%h 're as well8 ;nterestingly, headds, these 7gd e'tins %an !e shared !y i'#r!a!le friends, in%luding #redatrs and #rey

su%h as a %at and a !ird, a snae and a ha'ster, and a liness and a !a!y ry38 ther %ases f

strange friendshi#s in%lude a %heetah and a retrieer, a lin and a %yte, a dg and a deer, a gatand a hrse, and een a trtise and a gse 6ats hae !een nwn t ad#t and feed %hi%s and

 !a!y hedgehgs, while ne re%ent %ase %entered n a disa!led dl#hin wh was ad#ted !y a

fa'ily f s#er' whales

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;t see's that %'#assin has n !undaries 6learly, %-#eratin in the ani'al ingd' is nt

nly %''n, it*s a %ru%ial surial strategy whi%h hu'ans wuld !e wise t learn fr' 6harles

>arwin hi'self wrte: 7&ny ani'al whateer, endwed with well-'ared s%ial instin%ts9wuld ineita!ly a%.uire a 'ral sense f %ns%ien%e, as sn as its intelle%tual #wers had

 !e%'e as well-deel#ed9as in 'an8

;s this what is ha##ening nw, thrughut the ani'al ingd'+ &%%rding t e3#erts, all !irds

and 'a''als, as well as %t#uses and t 'any ther s#e%ies t list, a##ear t !e a whle lts'arter than we eer gae the' %redit fr he fllwing is an e3%er#t fr' the 6a'!ridge 

>e%laratin f 6ns%iusness a #restigius, ffi%ial re%gnitin f ani'al sentien%e signed in

?ngland in 2012 !y 15 leading s%ientists, and erseen !y "te#hen )awing hi'self

7he field f 6ns%iusness resear%h is ra#idly eling9and this %alls fr a #eridi%

reealuatin f #reiusly held #re%n%e#tins in this field9(irds a##ear t ffer a striing %ase

f #arallel elutin f %ns%iusness ?iden%e f near hu'an-lie leels f %ns%iusness has

 !een 'st dra'ati%ally !sered in &fri%an grey #arrts $a''alian and aian e'tinal

netwrs and %gnitie 'i%r%ir%uitries a##ear t !e far 're h'lgus than #reiuslythught $reer, %ertain s#e%ies f !irds hae !een fund t e3hi!it neural slee# #atterns

si'ilar t thse f 'a''als, in%luding R?$ slee# and, as was de'nstrated in /e!ra fin%hes,neur#hysilgi%al #atterns #reiusly thught t re.uire a 'a''alian ne%rte38

uperhuman chimps…and crows

& 6alednian %rw %alled (etty de'nstrated hu'an-lie intelligen%e a few years ag !y

'aing %'#li%ated hed tls fr' !its f wire t fish ite's ut f tu!es #ut this int #ers#e%tie, it*s s'ething %hi'#an/ees and 'st hu'ans are una!le t d

&nd lie (etty, %hi'#an/ees are als %leerer than us in s'e areas ;n a Ja#anese study t testshrt-ter' 'e'ry, nu'!ers were shwn n a %'#uter s%reen !efre !eing hidden !y white

s.uares he fie-year-ld %hi'#an/ees wh were taught t %unt fr' 1-< in adan%e !eatadult hu'ans hands-dwn in re'e'!ering where ea%h nu'!er was hidden &nther study f

lng-ter' 'e'ry in %hi'#an/ees als gae i'#ressie results, #ring the aerage hu'an is

nt s s#e%ial after all

&#es %an als learn and understand sign language, and there is eiden%e that #arrts dn*t Dustre#eat wrdsE they als understand meaning  >gs wh wait #atiently !y the dr fie 'inutes

 !efre their wners return fr' wr are nt nly e3#ressing an awareness f ti'e, !ut eiden%e

f a si3th sense t as a side nte, %anines een align the'seles t the ?arth*s 'agneti% field

when ding their !usiness "%ientists hae als re%ently dis%ered that nt nly are dl#hins'ath geniuses,

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eenage dl#hins hae !een fil'ed *getting high* n #ufferfishit*s nt !ig !ut it is %leer 

6R?>;: deiantartnet

 !ut that Dueniles als lie t %hew and #ass arund #ufferfish fr n ther reasn than t *gethigh* with their !uddies- nt dissi'ilar fr' re!ellius yuth !ehair in ur wn s#e%iesG

Further're, 'ag#ies, dl#hins, great a#es and ele#hants %an re%gni/e the'seles in a 'irrr

 Dust lie us, and 'any studies shw a %lear awareness f death in s'e s#e%ies ne f the 'st

%'#elling and tragi% fr' (eff*s %lleague Jane Hdall is detailed here he !ehair fthis yung %hi'# wh lst his 'ther and died three days later f a !ren heart leaes n r'

fr du!ts a!ut his understanding f death

!epression, grief and mourning affect many animals in e"actly the same way as us

ther resear%hers fr' Ayt uniersity witnessed tw grieing %hi'#an/ee 'thers %arryingtheir dead infants fr =I and 1< days res#e%tiely after death, as thugh they %uldn*t !ear t saygd!ye (erff, it*s si'#ly 7arrgant and wrng8 t assu'e we are the nly s#e%ies in

whi%h grief has eled: the nly #art we dn*t yet nw is the why. ?le#hants are es#e%ially

nwn t griee after the lss f a led ne hey 'urn the dead !y tu%hing the !nes r%ir%ling the !dy "'e resear%hers hae suggested they 'ay een relie 'e'ries and

understand death in Dust the sa'e way we d

ides f ani'als e3hi!iting *hu'an-lie !ehair* hae gne iral n uu!e &'ng the'

are a herd f !uffales wh get *reenge* n a #ride f lins, a heri% dg wh rised his life tdrag his un%ns%ius %'#anin fr' the freeway, a !a!y ele#hant wh %ried real tears fr fie

hurs after his 'ther atta%ed and reDe%ted hi', and a %at 'urning the lss f a friend

(ut se#ti%s warn against anthr#'r#his', the 'isguided attri!utin f hu'an-lie .ualities

t ani'als hey %lai' we 'ust always l fr anther, 're !asi%, e3#lanatin !efre%lai'ing ther %reatures are as %'#le3 as us & se#ti% 'ight suggest, fr e3a'#le, that if a rat

des nt want t hear its %'#anin !eing trtured, this is si'#ly !e%ause the rat is aerse t the

sund f s.uealing Rwlands ffers a gd de!uning f this ind f argu'ent, thugh )e

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 #ints ut that he, t, is aerse t the s%rea's f a trtured 'an, !ut it is #re%isely because he

feels e'#athy that the sund is s un!eara!le

7;t*s widely a%%e#ted that 'any ani'als dis#lay and feel a wide array f e'tins in%luding Dy,ha##iness, #leasure, le, e'#athy, %'#assin, sadness and #rfund grief,8 (eff states (ut,

he argues, these are nt human e3#ressins at all, they are animal  e3#ressins &nd the reasn weshare the' with s 'any ther s#e%ies is !e%ause we are ani'als too, whether we lie t ad'it it

r nt 7We 'ust neer frget that ur e'tins are the gifts f ur an%estrs, ur ani'al in,8(eff #ints ut

Animal rights….or Animal e#uality$

et histri%ally, 'anind has always treated ani'als with great disres#e%t and %ruelty, as nthing

're than %hattel t !e e3#lited fr fd, wr, *s#rt*, #rte%tin, entertain'ent ande3#eri'entatin Judais', 6hristianity and ;sla' alie all tea%h that hu'ans were gien the right

t use and a!use Hd*s lesser %reatures, rather than #rea%hing a sense f res#nsi!ility and

stewardshi# twards the' he idea that we are nt alne in feeling #ain, an3iety, sha'e andde#ressin is therefre highly un%'frta!le fr hu'ans ;f we a%%e#t this, hw %an we %ntinue

t treat ani'als as we d, r g n !elieing we are su#erir+

&nd in any %ase, s'e 'ay as what right we hae t su#eririty+ We are the 'st destru%tie

and ilent s#e%ies n ?arth &s ani'al rights a%tiist "teen (est rightly argues: 7We %annterl an a'a/ing #arad3 ;t is an dd !ut reealing #hen'enn that a s#e%ies whi%h s

arrgantly #rides itself in its alleged uni.ue sills in reasn and %''uni%atin has nt yet

attained an a%%urate understanding f itself his adan%ed 7intelligen%e8 f hu'ans, 'reer,is in the adan%ed stages f e3ter'inating ur %lsest !ilgi%al relaties, alng with 'illins f

ther ani'al and #lant s#e%ies, there!y ensuring that )' sa#iens will die as it was !rn K in

ignran%e f its wn nature and the ther ani'al s#e%ies ital fr an a%%urate self-understanding8

;t*s nt what we want t hear, !ut 'ay!e it*s what we need  t hear (ut where ne3t+ (erff is

're #sitie 7We need t wr fr a s%ien%e f #ea%e and e'#hasi/e the #sitie, #r s%ial

side f ther ani'als and urseles ;tCs truly wh we and ther ani'als are

7Pe#le wh %lai' nnhu'an ani'als are inherently aggressie and warlie are wrng,8 he gesn 7When they use infr'atin fr' ani'al studies t Dustify ur wn %ruel, eil !ehair,

theyCre nt #aying attentin t what we really nw a!ut the s%ial life f ani'als > ani'als

fight with ne anther+ es > they rutinely engage in %ruel, warlie !ehair+ Nt at all

When #e#le say, u*re !ehaing lie an ani'al, it*s a%tually a %'#li'ent8

(erff adds that we als need t 7de!un the 'yth f hu'an e3%e#tinalis' n%e and fr all

;tCs a hllw, shallw, and self-sering #ers#e%tie n wh we are9f %urse we are e3%e#tinal

in arius arenas, as are ther ani'als8