There are certain animals that I see on this planet, and I can’t help but to like them.
There are the usual suspects. Cats and Dogs. What’s not to like about them?
I mean, in the case of the dog, they are so delighted to see us every time we walk in the door. It doesn’t matter that we’ve just gone in the bathroom to pee. When we come out, the dog is elated beyond belief. They are forgiving, generous, compassionate, and kind.
They love to play. They love to sleep. I think they might be the perfect creature.
Cats are a different kind of lovable. First, cats are in no way like dogs. You can pretty much count on the standard across all breeds when it comes to dogs. Unless someone has terribly mistreated them, dogs are the most golden-hearted of beings.
But cats? Well, it depends on the one that is standing in front of us. Some are sweet and cuddly. Others are agents of Satan, I’m sure. They feign liking the act of petting, and without a moment’s notice, they are biting us uncontrollably, like someone eating hotdogs in a contest at the fair.
Cats are thinkers. Pushing things off tables with their paws. Using toilets as their own. Hiding in wait, only to pounce out and destroy whatever they have decided to obliterate in that moment.
But there is something about all this bundled-up demeanor that makes them lovable.
I know there are many other types of domesticated animals that are worthy, like birds, fish, hamsters, ferrets, reptiles, and on. I applaud them, too, for all their wonderful ways.
But if you step out into the wild, there are those certain animals that capture our hearts just by looking at them.
One of these, for me, is the sloth. Every time I watch a video of a sloth, I hold my breath and hope. Just hope. I hope that whatever the sloth is doing, will eventually happen. Walking. Climbing a tree. It always seems there is the distinct possibility that the little wind-up rubber band inside of them will putter out, and they will stop, frozen at the spot, never moving again. I shout, “Go, sloth, go.” I cheer for them to get to the finish line. They fill my heart when they finally make it.
Then, there is the koala bear. Now, these are cute beyond words. Seeing them being rescued from the terrible fires that recently plagued Australia. Such a heart-wrenching tragedy in so many ways.
But here is the thing about the koala bear. I think they have a dark side, and I’ll tell you why. First of all, they lie about their names. They are not bears at all. They are marsupials. Like wombats. But the real killer? The fingerprints of koala bears are virtually indistinguishable from those of humans. So much so, they can easily be confused at crime scenes.
Or can they? I wonder how many unsolved mysteries would be figured out with a National Koala Fingerprint Database. The NKFD.
Yeah, I could go on. There are loads of adorable animals that we’ve heard of, like the squirrels and chipmunks. Baby goats. Baby ducks. Baby anything.
And those that we don’t know as well, like the pika, quokka, klipspringer, and long-eared jerboa. And of course. The slow loris.
Oh, the gifts, the joys of this place. The wonders.
It’s a very good, well-designed planet we have here. I just hope we can fix it before it is too late for all of them. Because it wasn’t their fault.
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“The planet was being destroyed by manufacturing processes, and what was being manufactured was lousy, by and large.”
― Kurt Vonnegut, Breakfast of Champions
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“Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed.”
― Mahatma Gandhi
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“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
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Incredible beasts
