Tuesday, June 7, 2016

Whoooo Goes There or...

Whoooo Goes There or...

"Woo" goes here.

Sometimes, after crossing paths with an unusual critter or even having a 'close encounter' with a more ordinary one, we'll Google that animal's name and, next to it, the word "totem" to see what comes up.

Even if what we find is as flagrantly subjective as rote dream interpretation, we like the notion that something more than chance is at play between us and a nature.

Fable or not, ever since Androcles took a thorn out of a lion's paw, people have wondered about the capacity for gratitude among beasts. The flip side, from another fiction, but based on actual accounts, includes the revenge of Moby Dick. Yet in each rendition, gratitude and rage are both served by the subtleties of memory.

What do they know and when do they know it?

It seems that animals can often intuit the difference between humans who greet them kindly vs ones who mean them harm. Recent and numerous accounts of whales being completely still while humans attempt to free them from fishing nets are marvelous indeed - especially when they happen near waters where they're still hunted.

Think of that: One flick of their massive tail could kill several humans at once, and yet they wait, with what can only be construed as trust.

Whether we believe in totemic messaging or not, and without being guilty of anthropomorphizing - and, no, there's not another word for it - we're pretty sure the guy in this story didn't have to look up a thing.

To those of you who go the extra mile for the animals - especially those in the wild, those 'strangers' in need, thank you for showing us how it's done.

https://www.thedodo.com/gigi-owl-hugs-rescuer-1843393092.html

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