Blogtrek

Are animals any better?

Occasionally I hear people talk about domestic violence, the war in Iraq, Columbine, global warming, the overdependence of the world on petroleum, sexual abuse, and many other undesirable aspects of humanity and then say that the animals are much better, that they don't do these things and they just simply want to be. Apparently lower animals know how to behave. Mourning doves are so sweet when they come to our yard to feed on our feeder, with their cooing sound.

It may comfort one to think this way, but animals are no better. I have seen one morning dove chase another in my back yard. I have seen squirrels chase each other. They are not willing to share. If one is eating from a cob and another one approaches, the first one runs him off. One of our cats bullies another one off its favorite laying place. And today I saw a robin bathing in one of our birdbaths. A white-throated sparrow was trying to get a bath from the same bath, but when the sparrow entered the water, the robin pushed it off. So the sparrow went around behind the robin, and got into the water while the robin was looking the opposite way. He got a few little wadings of the water, and then both flew off shortly afterwards. He did not have to go to that trouble; there was another bath with no bird in it a few feet away.

In other words, not only do animals display selfish behavior, they are also scheming and conniving. We humans can, and do, better.