Page 18 - IFV_Issue 4_2022

Nature

Satya Deep, Unsplash

an understanding and empathy that was autobiographical Love, Life and of the human animal if subjected to the
understated before. Elephants, suggested that science had same set of circumstances.”
Many respected male scientists remain reached a stage where, by inference, In a lecture, American ecologist, Carl
sceptical about emotions existing it had become neurotic in precluding Safina, put it more circumspectly, “. . .
among animals, yet it is difficult to deny researchers from interpreting animal people who know animals know this word
the significance of, for instance, Dutch behaviour in an anthropomorphic – anthropomorphism – and know ‘You
ethologist, Frans de Waal’s experience way. Sheldrick wrote how science must never project human feelings and
described in his 2019 book, Mama’s last tended to impose its “own complicated emotions on other animals’. But I am here
hug. explanations as to why an animal was to tell you I think that projecting human
The ‘Mama’ referred to was a big behaving in a certain way, when, in fact, emotions and human thoughts on other
chimpanzee matriarch who formed a the answer was pretty simple. One simply animals is the best first guess about what
deep bond with Dutch biologist, Jan van had to compare it to the likely response they are doing and why.”
Hooff. Van Hooff knew her for half-a-
century and, knowing she must be dying,
went to visit her after a long absence. A
cell phone video showed the dying chimp
curled up, unresponsive, and refusing
all food as van Hoof, unannounced,
approaches.
De Waal wrote: “He is calling, softly
to her. She remains curled up, showing
no sign of recognising his voice. Then
an eyelid opens. Then both. Suddenly
Mama’s face erupts into the broadest,
fleshiest grin one can imagine in an ape.
Her feeble arm uncurls from her chest
and reaches out and finds her old friend’s
greying hair and begins to stroke it. Her
fingers tremble in his hair. The smile
remains splitting her ancient face. She
pulls him towards her and tries to hug.”
Daphne Sheldrick, in her 2012 Ryan al Bishri, Unsplash

16 • Issue 4 2022 • The Villager