From The Owl Research institute
Have you ever noticed how much variation there is in the faces of Northern Saw-whet Owls? Take alook at these side-by-side comparisons and see how different each owl can look from the rest.
One datapoint ORI collects from each owl is the amount of facial white right around the face. As you can see, some owls have a lot of white, and some have hardly any at all; it certainly is interesting to see all the faces that pass through our station.
Animals may not have the same thoughts, feelings, or relationships as we do, but we do share a lot of basic needs and desires, and a little humanizing of animals I think is good for both sides of the equation.
They're still living creatures who want to be safe and healthy and raised a family. They can be happy or scared.
I try to see the animals as individuals. Over the last 3 years I've been lucky enough to have been able to work from home, I've gotten to know my backyard squirrels and bluejays quite well. The squirrels are much easier to tell apart. The jays are too darn fast, but I can tell the younger ones from the older ones. But they all show different personalities and risk aversion and food preferences just like any of you guys would. They've been fascinating to me, and I'm really going to miss them going back on site to work. I've stopped keeping house pets for a few reasons, so these guys have been my everyday pals for a long time now. They're all unique little goofballs, and I'll miss seeing them on a daily basis.
Everyone is special to someone, and I don't think any creature deserves to be treated as lesser.
So true. Spend any amount of time with domesticated or wild animals, and you'll realize how they all have unique personalities, preferences, habits, sensitivities and quirks, just like people do. I fully believe they have feelings just like us, even if they probably can't think about them in the same way we do. I think we are much more alike than we are different.
I had 3 cats I rescued from outside. You would think they hated all of humanity. None of them would be adoptable animals, which is why I kept them after treating their injuries.
They wouldn't really spend time with me when I was home, even after them living with me for a few years, but they were absolutely upset with me for about a week every time I'd go away for more than 2 days! It was totally on their terms, but I know they had a positive bond with me.
And I still miss them now that they're gone. They taught me a lot about tolerance and patience and how sometimes you don't always get the reactions you feel you deserve, but it doesn't always mean they don't care, they just show things differently. They were who they were, and I came to respect that.