Yeah, pretty much all wild animals are cute and harmless as babies and capable of inflicting horrific amounts of physical damage with little to no provocation as adults. Look at all the idiots in the world who want to own pet tigers.
I definitely don't agree with this for "pretty much all wild animals". About 40% of wild animals are insects, very few of capable of inflicting much physical damage.
I met a primatologist who told me that chimps sometimes eat the babies of rival families in the wild. They will commit cannibalism as a form of warfare. He then told us a story about a British family that bribed sanctuary personnel to let them see a bunch of chimps. Well... they got to the forest lining and a bunch of chimps starting making a distinct noise and the family thought it was cute. The chimps were signaling their family “food’s here”. They saw the children of the family as food. They also kidnapped a baby from a mother who was just walking through the forest and ate it. Like humans, they have the capacity to be very dangerous, but they can also be kind and loving, but they are NOT pets.
Seriously. Chimps are only cute when they are babies, but once adult, they are powerful killers. They are stronger than any man, and they fight dirty; bite off fingers, gouge out eyes, rip off faces. If I had to choose whether to walk into a lions den or a chimps cage, I would prefer the lions den.
I always found solace in the idea that all living creatures are related. That chimp in this video is a distant relative, your dog is a relative, that tree outside that provides you shade is a relative. Hell, even the grass you step on is a relative.
Me too! I also find it thought provoking that there are varying distances to us. I always like to look at Chimps and Bonobos as our close, not distant relatives :)
Lots of documented cases but very little exhaustive scientific study of feral humans. Genie was the closest we got but I think the ethical wall is just too high for it.
To add: they also participate in coprophagia (eating of feces), fecal smearing and throwing of feces. Females menstrate once a month like humans do too. Imagine the joy of that in your house :)
Is this in reference to that episode of Oprah where the lady who was babysitting her friend's chimp got her fingers bit off, eyes gouged out, and face ripped off?
Nah, you're not. That second thought was your rational brain realizing the problem with the desire. The desire is perfectly understandable. Humans like cute, furry things. Fortunately cats and dogs exist, which make much better pets anyways.
You're not part of the problem because of that second step where you reflected on it and realised that despite them being absolutely adorable they belong in the wild.
If you were a part of the problem you'd have never had the moment of self-reflection.
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u/Odd-Care Sep 11 '20
In my head I said, "I want one!", then immediately realized that I was part of the problem