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Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Baby bunny, cat, fox, dog...

....cross species parenting and friendship is always interesting to observe. Enjoy.

Mom cat and bunny:

A dog interacts with two young foxes:

Published this year, 2010, Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals, by Jonathan Balcombe is an excellent look at the fact that humans aren't the only beings who communicate, feel emotions and have self-awareness. The author is an animal behaviorist who is vegan for ethical reasons.

He writes about the fact that we human animals have attempted to avoid and/or minimize the similarities and kinship we have with the other animals for way too long. This self imposed blindness is tragic and destructive for all involved. Read the book if you haven't already. For a taste of the contents of the book and an introduction to the author you can listen to an interview he did on NPR's Diane Rehm Show.

Again, if you haven't already stopped harming others, begin your journey as soon as possible, the lives of the innocent depend on it. Assistance is available here

5 comments:

Christina said...

Wonderful videos. I have seen the kitty one before. Ive thought many times about the way animals will mother their young. I know this doesnt apply to everyone and every situation but you hear about a human mother killing her own child and then you hear about a momma cat running into a burning building to get her babies out. Our brains may be more evolved but they are superior to us.

Heartland said...

Christina, if you are thinking of the same incident as I am of the momma cat going back into the burning building repeatedly to save everyone of her babies it made me a blubbering mess for the rest of the day. Her ears were gone and she had little left of her eyelids, but she saved her babies. A vet patched her up and she received skin grafts on her head and paws. The story had a happy ending with a kind lady adopting her. As a result of the fire momma's kittens got the press they needed and all were adopted too. Momma cat is a hero.

We can take lessons from both the momma cat who shared her babies's milk with the baby bunny and the dog who befriends baby foxes - even when one of them chomps down on a tender part of his body. He was a good sport about it. Slow to anger, quick to forgive.

Thanks for posting them VE. Good lessons for mankind.

veganelder said...

Thanks Christina and Heartland for commenting. Powerful feelings and passions are likely universal to us animals.

Krissa said...

Wonderful videos! (the second one is restricted here because of content from Believe, The Orchard Music - ?, but I know it is wonderful). Isn't it beyond comprehension how some people are so blind/arrogant/ignorant/whatever you want to call it that they don't see what's so obvious. Kind of makes you wonder if the heart sees more than the eyes. I'm sure it does sometimes anyway. ... For some reason these videos reminded me of something that was in the news probably about 20 years ago. Somewhere in the Midwest (I think) a small human child fell into a gorilla enclosure (nice word for jail). One of the female gorillas picked him up and took care of him. I saw a video and it was so beautiful. But I remember mostly being scared that they were going to shoot her and/or all the rest of the gorillas. I don't think they did, but I quit watching and listening before I found out because I was too scared that that was what happened. Anyway, humans aren't the only ones who see with their hearts.

veganelder said...

Thanks Krissa for commenting. The incident you are referencing occurred in 1996 at the Brookfield Zoo located near Chicago. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brookfield_Zoo)

As far as I could tell, none of the gorillas were harmed during or after the incident (beyond being lifetime prisoners with no parole possibility). Much discussion went on and on about whether the gorilla "knew" what she was doing. Obviously only us human animals "know" what we are doing (sarcasm intended).

By the way, here is a link to another story (in England) about a child falling into a gorilla "enclosure" in 1986 with a similar outcome...the "ferocious" gorillas did not harm the child. (http://lelion.co.uk/)