These maps were handy as an aid in both critical and creative writing during my teaching career. The bait of reading Newman’s “Earthweek” is still strong. One can now find the column online at earthweek.com. Twelve years ago, on May 12th, Newman’s column reported a scientific study funded by the Royal Society of London that took place in Sarasota, Florida. Discovery was made that bottlenose dolphins communicate and call one another by name. Plus, two dolphins may refer to a third dolphin by name. Animals have intelligence and abilities that humans cannot replicate. If you are a friend of an animal you undoubtedly have stories to tell. You also know that your pet can experience joy, pain, love, anger, anxiety, sorrow and depression. Jane Goodall documented in the 1960’s that these emotions go beyond domesticated pets, that chimpanzees in the wild experience emotions. Even birds experience emotions. I witnessed a pair of bluebirds grieving when a cat ate their fledglings. The mother bluebird searched for her babies then sat on top of the birdhouse with her head drooping. The male arrived, nuzzled her and placed his head close to hers. The male finally flew away but the mother stayed for a long time on the birdhouse with the most forlorn bird body posture possible. A University of Texas psychologist, Samuel D. Gosling, is interested in animal personality. He and his colleagues have found certain characteristics of personality “are evident in animals as low on the phylogenetic scale as guppies and octopuses.” Related links... 🐘 Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee website: elephants.com. 🐘 Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee YouTube channel
Does it make you wonder which species on this planet is the most intelligent? In reality, we are one family, a carbon-based family of life with many threads and a multitude of members. All living beings are our neighbors who need clean water, fresh air and a living space just as we do. “Love thy neighbor as thyself” holds greater meaning with this concept. Brothers and sisters are we. Steve Newman helps us realize that.
[email protected] ©Ann Rains--August 12, 2019
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