Gregor's Justice

"Deception has been observed in animals from elephants to arctic foxes. Ants take slaves. Chimpanzees may attack other bands of chimpanzees, unprovoked and with deadly intent. Groups of dwarf mongooses battle other groups for territory. The case of the chimpanzee murderers Pom and Passion, who killed and ate the infants of other chimpanzees in their group, has been well documented by Jane Goodall's research team. Orangutans have been seen to rape other orangutans. Male lions, when they join a pride, often kill young cubs who were fathered by other lions. Young hyenas, foxes, and owls have been seen to kill and eat their siblings."
(Masson, 42)

I'm currently reading When Elephants Weep by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson and Susan McCarthy. Although the book doesn't focus on the torture of animals within each species, the author denotes very well of the emotional lives of the creatures we deem inferior to us. We keep pets on leashes, small animals in cages, and entertain the very livelihood of our children with branded elephants and tame tigers. It's interesting that Masson included this passage to point out why we may think there are differences between human and wild animal. Humans can be so surreal. I am beginning to think that we blind ourselves from the truth. As we know, the truth can be awing and painful. We underestimate the animal kingdom and our effect on it. Perhaps we are responsible when we release a captured chimp back into the wild and it cannot survive? Perhaps we are responsible for the damage of rainforests and thus affecting animal behavior? I have read many reports on animal running loose and hurting civilians. Are we responsible? Coyotes in backyards. Orcas killing trainers at SeaWorld. Dogs biting. Chimpanzees injuring researchers. Who gave humans the right to dominate and create clear distinctions? We are not so different. We are, in fact, animal. Masson included a description of an older chimpanzee abused by his younger mates. The passage made me think of teenagers neglecting and even abusing senior citizens.

"One has to sympathize with Jane Goodall's reaction to some chimpanzees' treatment of one old animal, his legs wholly paralyzed by polio, who was lonely, shunned, and sometimes attacked by those who were still healthy. In the hope of inducing companions who were grooming
each other to groom him as well, he dragged himself up into a tree:With a loud grunt of pleasure he reached a hand towards them in greeting--but even before he made contact they both swung quickly away and, without a backward glance, started grooming on the far side of the tree. For a
full two minutes, old Gregor sat motionless, staring after them.
And then he laboriously lowered himself to the ground." (Masson 43)

Those chimpanzees knew what they were doing. Or are we simply labelling a situation-emotion? Do animals know what is right and wrong? The passage blew me away a little - not knowing animals can be selfish and prejudiced like humans. Or perhaps Goodall, using human perception, humanely labelled like a human would feel...I suppose we'll never know.