Just like us

Many people regard their pets as having so-called human qualities.  While scientists have traditionally warned us strongly against anthropomorphising our attitudes to animals, recent research is telling us that there are more similarities than we thought.  Gradually the behaviours that used to be used to characterise humans are being found in other animals; toolmaking is a good example of a behaviour that now known to be practised by many animals.  We are increasingly finding that other differences disappear as we learn more about our animal relatives, with whom we share a large portion of our DNA (approximately 99% with mice).

The apes are our closest relatives, and share many characteristics with us. Recent genetics research has shown that in many ways the gorilla Y chromosome is more similar to the human Y chromosome than either is to the chimpanzee Y chromosome.  While other evidence points to the chimpanzee as our closest relative, the more time I spend watching our three gorillas at Orana Park, the more I think we humans are very like them.

I wonder whether it is time that we stopped regarding ourselves as somehow 'different' from or 'superior' to other animals, and embraced them as our kin.  That way we might better understand and appreciate our role in the world.