Ok,
stay with me on this for a moment. I admit, right here at the
start, initially it’s going to seem like we’re reaching out onto
a thin branch with this one.
Do
you think animals understand and celebrate holidays?
Now,
hold on. It was barely two seconds ago that I warned you I needed
you to stay with me. Off I go, mentioning a chipmunk looking for
a birthday card and you throw your hands into the air.
Obviously,
we’ve never seen a dolphin using a smart phone to check any reminders
on its calendar. I know of no records or evidence that confirm
a lion baking a cake. I feel comfortable saying there has yet
to be an orangutan witnessed purchasing party balloons.
Obviously.
Obviously,
animals do not remember special days of the year.
But
is it obvious? (And, if I may add, if an animal did purchase party
balloons, I think we can agree it would be an orangutan. Ok… back
to it…)
There
are birds that migrate when the weather changes. We all are aware
of this. Did you know that some birds actually change their dates
of migration from year to year? True. In fact, there are studies
that suggest that some birds are actually better at predicting
weather patterns such as the strength of the hurricane season
than humans are.
Go
ahead. Research it yourself.
All
sorts of weather professionals, with all sorts of historical data
and computers and more, studying and forecasting. And then there’s
a bird, producing more eggs, migrating earlier to avoid the problem
storms, planning for what’s to come without as much as a scratch
pad of notes.
We
know that animals of all type act and react to changing seasons
and conditions. And, I think it fair to say that many of our special
days are associated with certain times of the year.
Several
animals are known to live in extended families of sorts, with
selective groups established for the whole to survive. Further,
many pair up for life.
So,
let’s see: they definitely communicate with each other, have dedicated
relationships, can exist within a social structure, and possess
the ability to act based on seasonal activity. Are we really certain
they don’t have their own special name for the month we call December?
In
all honesty, I’m not trying to tell you that if they could, a
crash of rhinoceroses would wander into a store and start buying
decorations for an anniversary party. I’m not. But…
Just
because we don’t understand what they are saying (or many of the
reasons behind what they are doing), I don’t think it’s completely
fair for us to assume that they are completely unaware of intricate
details. As with the thoughts about birds migrating, we’ve got
evidence that supports their ability to perceive things in a completely
different way. And in those perceptions, there are absolutely
places where we have a lot to learn from them. Yes, us from them.
Maybe
a bird doesn’t remember its birthday. I don’t think we should
be so quick as to dismiss the idea that they may understand when
there’s a time to celebrate.