What wonderful movies us humans come up with to humanize animals.
Domesticated animals came from the wild a long time ago and they have their own DNA. This DNA tells them who they are and how to act and react to situations.
Many people don’t live in a survival mode because we have phones for emergencies, money for food, running water, electricity and basic things many of us take for granted. This is why most of us don’t understand animals.
Animals live in a different world than we do. They live in a world of survival first.
Studies show DNA determines the range of behaviors in each species. Animal behaviorists are starting to study animals outside of their natural environment. They help us to understand if and how bred-in and learned behavior can be modified through training and changes in a pet’s diet or environment.
Modifying a pet’s behavior can be a challenging task because of their DNA or bred-in instincts. Wild animals have certain instincts and no matter if they are born in the wild or in captivity, some of these innate instincts will surface. Although pet owners have the responsibility for teaching their pets, they often do not have any formal training in how to do this. Too many humans get animals for the wrong reason with no basic idea or information on what the animal needs to survive and be healthy.
This is why many animals end up in shelters or are abused. You have to think like an animal to understand an animal. And because animals sense and feel things to a greater degree than humans, we can hardly understand it all.
Understanding why pets sometimes “misbehave” requires careful understanding of their bred in traits and their ability to learn.
The disposition of a particular pet and the circumstances surrounding their behavior are also factors. We need to look at where they were born and how they were raised to understand many personalities.
Even though one group or species may have the same DNA, each individual animal is different. All humans have the same basic DNA, but with some changes for skin or eye color, etc. It works the same way in the animal world. All zebras have the same basic DNA but every zebra has a different striped pattern on its’ body to mark its individualism.
We should look at the species and understand that every species have their own traits and instincts, but realizing survival is the first thing on an animals mind.
The animal world is a world of day-to-day survival that many of us in the “tame” world can’t understand and don’t want to see, but it’s real. If we can acknowledge it exists, we can start to understand many animals’ behaviors, instincts, actions and reactions and honor them instead of condemning them.
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