Here’s a fascinating article about a group of people who freed a massive humpbacked whale who had become entangled in ropes and weights that were threatening to drag the animal down. Once again the dreaded a-word–anthropomorphism–is mentioned in the usual, apologetic “I don’t want be anthropomorphic, but…” manner as one of those involved described the whale’s behavior after being freed. Whenever this happens, I can’t help wondering if people likewise would feel a need to question the meaning of such behavior had it been displayed by a person incapable of verbal communication who instead used body language to communicate
Read more →A March article on yahoo.com (and unfortunately no longer available for those who missed this blog first time around) about a coyote trapped in Central Park reminded me of how often we humans foolishly believe we can experience nature on our terms, as if it were some piece of yard art we can add or delete as the mood strikes us. We fill our feeders or leave pet food outside with the naive idea that only those animals for whom we intend it will be attracted to it. We fling our garbage by the roadside or fill our garbage
Read more →A website I often recommend to clients who are struggling to shed their reactivity in a favor of a more canine-calming one are the notes of a wildlife biologist describing her observations of an alpha female wolf training two generations of younger animals. When you read this, notice how subtle the communications are, and how much the alpha wolf apparently communicates while seeming to do nothing at all. Then compare this to how the average person communicates with his or her pets. It truly is amazing!
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