A winter day a few years ago, my neighbour came over, quite excited. He had something to tell. He and a few friends had been on a fishing trip and as they stood there on the edge of the ice, they noticed a swan that behaved in a strange way. It had obviously difficulties of getting onto the ice. When it finally managed to climb out of the water, it turned out that it could not straighten its neck. It was entangled in a fishing line.
Matti, one of the men, acted resolutely, took his knife, made a rush, got hold of the swan, cut the line, whereupon the wildly screaming bird was immediately back in the water and the men could concentrate on fishing again.
Then it was time for coffee. While the men were tinkering with sandwich packages and thermoses, the strange thing happened. The swan had climbed back onto the ice and came waddling straight towards Matti. There, in front of the stunned group, it stopped for a brief moment before waddling back to the river.
So far the story, but how should it be interpreted? What was the swan's intention when it lunged towards Matti? To take a closer look at his saviour? To show gratitude? How could we ever know when we cannot be sure even when interpreting our fellow humans? But we do interpret anyway.
The problem is when we limit ourselves when it comes to animals. A mantra from the past dictates that we should not humanize animals. We must of course be careful in the same way that we have to be careful when we judge people, not least people from other cultures. Somewhere, a headshake can mean ‘Yes’ or ‘Hello!’. A cat's tail wagging does not mean the same thing as a dog's tail wagging.
The expressions for the basic emotions, joy, sadness, anger, fear and disgust are still the same all over the world. Limitations, to the extent that they exist, are more about how clearly you can express them in different cultures. Perhaps you can also add interest, surprise and possibly shame to the basic emotions.
Many of these emotions are clearly expressed by many animals, but it may take experience to recognize them. A constantly recurring question is whether dogs can be ashamed. I do not think we can ever get an objective answer to such questions, but anyone who lives with a dog has an answer.
There is much we can never get definitive answers to, but what we can say with certainty is that just like ourselves, other animals want to live in peace and security, to avoid pain and suffering and not to have to be afraid.
The differences between man and animals are not as great as we imagine. Differences based on our delusions fade with renewed insight. We have all emerged from the river of evolution.
The story of the swan is not unique, similar episodes are documented in abundance, animals that received help and came back seemingly to thank. Watch carefully the behaviour of this little fox cub.
Why continue filming a vulnerable animal instead of remove the can without delay? Despite the suspicion that the situation may be staged, the clip has a value given the fox's behavior.
Observations of this kind, verbal stories and fotages, are called ‘anecdotes’ and are often considered useless for science. But not all knowledge is based on natural science. There are questions other than those that seek universal answers and aim for governance, control and power.
The simple question “Who are you?” wants something else. It is personal, lacks universal validity, seeks contact, understanding, connection, wants to reach for a meeting, to establish a connection. Facts are less important. Why wouldn't you think that the swan and the little fox really returned for a “thank you”?
This leads to the question of gratitude. Why does a swan or baby fox want to show gratitude? A meeting that created an imbalance that needs to be corrected? Is that why the dehooked shark comes back again and again? Questions without answers are valuable, they leave open windows, answers close them.
It is human to want to interpret stories. Interpreting is a way of approaching. The truth lies in the approach itself, even if the interpretation cannot ever be verified. Thinking strives for logically sustainable, verifiable truths, but the truths of thinking often create distance.
The question “Who are you?” is not only directed outwards at the person you meet, it is directed equally inward, at yourself. Who are you in the encounter with an animal? How are your eyes set, what do you choose to see? Is a fly an annoying buzz or a small individual with business of its own?
Animals do not express their feelings in words, but nowadays even natural science admits that animals, even the insects, are conscious and can react with emotions. There are also those who go further and are convinced that fruit flies can harbour emotions such as joy, sadness and lead.2
Human consciousness did not appear suddenly in evolution, not like flipping a switch, it is linked far back in the evolution of life. An insect is small, but has the basic biological structures that allow it to remember, experience emotions, learn from experience, and be in conscious connection with its surroundings.
During almost the entire twentieth century animals was regarded as instinct-driven machines without consciousness. That changed at the end of the century, when it became increasingly clear that consciousness in one form or another is a fundamental property of all biological life. There are even those who argue that consciousness is a fundamental property of the universe, like gravity and energy.
A squid is a mollusc, closely related to clams and shells, but with enough intelligence to live up to its reputation for messiness and mischief when kept in captivity. They are strong, incredibly malleable, and are happy to break away and hide or switch to another aquarium if there is something there that they like. There is a story about an octopus that fled from its tank and disappeared through the frloor drain. They recognize faces and can distinguish between those they like and those they don't.
Despite their short lifespan of only one to three years, they possess considerable intelligence. A long childhood are thus not the prerequisite for intelligence. Do octopuses show a consciousness that is loaded with experience of some kind from start?
Frans de Waal says in the title of a book: “Are we smart enough to know how smart animals are?”3
If you don't reach out a hand, how would you know if someone was there to take it?