Do you have a pet? Has the pet ever surprised you by its actions? We need to start this discussion by agreeing that the ability to reason is supposedly reserved to human beings only. We are the only “animal” that has the ability to apply logic to solve problems. Well, maybe… But that opinion is challenged more and more every day as we hear about those “amazing animals”. News items like the following just make you shake your head and wonder: the dog that finds a stray kitten and begins to care for it; a gorilla that understands sign language; swallows (migratory birds) that return to the Mission at San Juan Capistrano every year at the same time; and the list goes on. We have seen a heron feed on the fish by a lake. He/she fishes from one side in the morning and the other side in the evening—depending on the position of the sun. The heron apparently “reasoned” that casting its shadow on the water discourages fish from surfacing so it times its fishing location to hide its shadow. How did the heron figure this out? A more basic question: how do birds learn the mechanics of flying? Instinct? Ok, then how do birds acquire the instinct that taught them how to fly? Just another mystery of the wonderful world we live in and need to preserve. If only we could ask Dr. Doolittle…
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