Things We Can't Hear

How long have humans and elephants shared the same geographical spaces? But it wasn't until 1984 that someone finally noticed that there were strange vibrations coming from the elephant cage at a zoo. As it turns out, elephants use infrasonic sounds (sounds lower than the deepest bass note we can hear) to communicate. Researchers have since identified around 300 distinct infrasonic calls that elephants make to each other. Their massive bodies provide the resonance to generate such low frequencies, and these sounds can travel many miles through the earth. Elephants can detect these sounds through the sensitive pads on their feet.

It's also known that another set of massive animals, whales, also use infrasounds to communicate. Their deep sounds, inaudible to us, can travel across an entire ocean in an hour. Not only do they use their ability to hear at these low-frequencies to communicate, but to locate food. Then along comes the US Navy with sonar that uses the same type of sounds. But the Navy sonar emits sounds at 235 decibels--equivalent to the noise from a space shuttle launch! Sounds this loud are not merely noise pollution for the whales, they are unbearable and can even be deadly. Ever wonder why you hear reports of whales beaching themselves? Omitted from the reports is the fact that they are often bleeding from their ears and eyes. They beach themselves to get out of the water that is carrying sounds that torture them, sometimes literally to death.

...and there was no difference.

In the very earliest time,
When people and animals lived together on earth,
A person could become an animal if he wanted to
And an animal could become a human being.
Sometimes they were people,
And sometimes animals,
And there was no difference.
All spoke the same language.

--Netsilik Eskimo Song

We are not much different in fact to many other forms of animal life;
and it is because of subtle human conditioning
-- not the actual facts --
that we are raised to believe there is a wide gap between
what is human and what is animal.

--Gareth Patterson, the "Lion Man" of Africa

Right Town, Wrong Hospital

This story at the BBC web site is not recent, but the poignancy of it has made it stay fresh in my mind:

An otter escorted its injured mate to a hospital on the Isle of Skye in Scotland. But in spite of the bloody footprints it was leaving, the hospital workers only locked the doors until the otters left (this last point, omitted in the BBC report linked above, was reported by other sources at the time).

Personally, I can't believe the callousness of locking the doors and hoping the otters went away.

What makes the story even more poignant is that the same town on the Isle of Skye is home to the International Otter Survival Fund, which has a hospital for injured otters.

I have not found any report that says these otters made it to there.

In Sync

When trying to decide on a topic for a new post here, I often get bogged down in "scientific" research papers on animal cognition and such. They usually take the form of 'can we really ascribe emotions to animals?'

My question is, how can any true observer, who is not hampered by fear of offending the establishment status quo, not come to the conclusion that animals are just as rich and deep mentally and emotionally as we are?

And to forward the idea of first-hand observation, I offer to you this web address for a wonderful place called In-Sync Exotics, or even better, a direct link to their Visit the Cats page. It's been several years since I've been able to visit there, but In-Sync still stands out in my memory as home of some of the happiest big cats I've had the pleasure to visit. I would say the people who run the place truly are "in sync" with their animals. If you look through their newsletters, you'll see an emphasis on play. It is indeed a wonderful sight to see adult lions and tigers lose themselves in play like kittens.

Self-Aware

Here's a good little article on animal intelligence, consciousness, and self-awareness: Animal Intelligence by Edward Willett. There's a lot of different topics touched on there.

One pet peeve of mine that he mentions is the pseudo-science known as "behaviorism", based on the "biological machine" view of animals. The Animal Behavior course I had in college was probably the worst class of all; the narrow-minded view of the world just did not allow for all the things I already knew.

Read that article, and I'll be happy to respond to any comments you may have. I'll close with one simple question: If animals are not self-aware, why do predators hide from their potential prey?

Cats That Fetch

Both our kittens-- one boy, one girl, both about 8 months old-- love to play fetch. The girl started it, and the boy picked up the idea from her. Each one will initiate a game by bringing me a toy when they're in the mood to fetch.

But if you tell people this, they don't believe you...

What does Christian The Lion mean to us?

At a time when Christian the lion was completely forgotten by the world, I put up a detailed page about him, complete with the "reunion video" that has since moved millions of people around the world. I had to bring his story to the world; that reunion scene is so very touching, so very explicit in revealing the emotional life of an animal.

But I don't think I've seen or heard anyone explore why the reunion of Christian with John and Ace touches us so deeply.

My explanation is that the pain of separation is the deepest kind of pain we experience. We all experience the pain, whether it's as "separation anxiety" as a baby or because of the death of someone we love dearly. With Christian, the separation from John and Ace was the result of their altruistic love for him, to give him the best life they knew how to give. To add to the mix is the communications barrier that separates human and animal: he can't send a postcard, we're not sure what he's thinking. To see so clearly that after such a long time of separation that his love for the two men was as strong as ever gives us all hope. It is visual proof that love can transcend all barriers--time, space, language, species...

Love is universal.

Communication

If you talk to the animals, they will talk to you, and you will know them.
If you do not talk to them, you will not know them.
And what you do not know, you will fear,
and what one fears, one will destroy. --Chief Dan George

I cannot emphasize enough how important that idea is. What a person does not know, he fears. What a person fears, he destroys. This explains so well the general pattern of human society vs. animal societies. This is why it is so vital that people be exposed to as much truth about animals as possible. Too many people simply do not realize that each and every animal is a thinking, feeling, loving being with a life as rich as their own. And once a person does realize this, his life is forever changed for the better.

One thing not made explicit in Chief Dan George's words above is that you have to listen to the animals, too. Once they know you are listening, they will talk to you even more. As I was writing this post, my youngest kitten brought a toy to me, thus telling me very eloquently that she wanted to play with me. I was happy to oblige, and as a result, it was a long time between when I started and when I finished, but we both had a good time and she lifted me out of my despair over the idea of people destroying what they don't understand. I was glad I listened; I needed that. (Someday I will have to elaborate on the importance of not postponing joy.)

When you come down to it, joy is the basis for all my posts and all of my site: surely you know what I mean if you've also come to the realization that intelligent life is all around us.

Intelligent Life is All Around Us -- Re-Launching This Blog, With a New Purpose

To me, one of the most important aspects of Kimba The White Lion is the gateway it provides for awakening people to the intelligent animal societies that exist throughout our world. To promote that aspect, one of my favorite pages on my site, and one that I desperately need to expand, is the one bearing the title Intelligent Life Is All Around Us. Toward that goal, I will be posting examples here.

On today's morning edition of Paul Harvey News And Comment, we heard the story of the Phillipine man who was saved by dolphins and whales. You can read the full story at this link: http://preview.tinyurl.com/DophinsSaveFisherman. The gist of the story is that the man's boat capsized far from shore, he was bleeding and later passed out, and a pod of dolphins pushed him to shore while a pair of whales helped keep sharks away. I think no one can deny the intelligence and benevolence shown by these animals.

Strangely, on the radio Paul Harvey Jr. portrayed the man as an enemy of dolphins, emphasizing that he was a tuna fisherman, and that dolphins frequently die in tuna nets. In the newspaper story linked above, it says that the man is “a dolphin warden and a spotter who locates the presence of dolphins whenever there are guests on dolphin-watching tours, and he is involved mainly in collecting garbage in the areas frequented by dolphins, to prevent the animals from eating these and being poisoned by the plastics floating around.”

Does it make the story more amazing if the man was an enemy? Would it be more amazing if we were told he worked to help the dolphins? Isn't it enough to be aware that an act of love and kindness is possible from the intelligent life all around us?

New Vintage Kimba Collectibles!

I've just added some exciting vintage Kimba toys!

There's a wooden blackboard, brand new, never used, with Kimba, Dan'l, and Pauline on it. And a very large jigsaw puzzle showing many of the characters from the two original TV series. Both are from the 1960s and both are gorgeous.

Plus, I'm happy to say that since the plastic trays from the 1989 Kimba series turned out to be so popular, I have found two more (only two!). These are used but in very good condition.

Sale prices and free shipping continue throughout the shop. Check it out!