What Animal Behavior Reveals About Humans
Recently, scientists in a South Africa savannah conducted a study to see how large land mammals reacted to two different categories of sounds. Those two sounds included the following:
1) The roars and growls of lions
2) The speech of humans and gunshots
Human development has always had a tremendous impact on the natural world. In our quest to further our own survival and dominance on this planet, we have gone to extreme lengths. However, those measures do not come without costs. Evidently, the development of animals shares a relationship with human behavior, and have been informing each other for thousands of years.
The findings of these scientists reiterates a point that has been discussed by environmental scientists from various fields as well as behavioral scientists. Humans and animals share a lot in common with one another...more than what humans have previously acknowledged or even care to admit. Humans who have chosen to live in more sparsely populated areas can tell you about the capacities of animals. But this evidence-- gathered from one of the world's most wildest places on the planet-- demonstrates the level we influence animal behavior.
When the scientists played the audio of the lions...the reaction was interesting. Many of the animals hesitated to leave the watering hole where the studies were taking place. While some animals showed distress (one elephant smashed the equipment used to play the audio), they were not so keen to leave the area altogether. The story changed completely when human voices and the sounds of gunshots were played on the same exact machines that streamed the lion soundbites. Check out the reaction of the animals to the lion sounds in the video below:
Regardless of the species of animal-- whether giraffe, warthog, cheetah, rhino, etc.-- the animals ran as if their lives depended on it. This indicates something just as distressing...animals know that in circumstances such as these...when they come into contact with humans that their lives do depend on it. Animals are cognizant enough to understand that humans have a notorious reputation for destruction. It is not just devastation that they cause, but also the level of it. Animals recognize that humans are capable of killing for sport and convenience (to remove them from an area so that the land can be used for itself) in ways that are extremely efficient and overall...largely detrimental.
In the video below, one can see how the animals react to the human sounds. It is insightful, and in some ways humbling. It is also quite telling that this reaction occurred regardless of what language was spoken by the user. (The scientists used a variety of languages including English, Afrikaans, and more!)
There are numerous resources that can be uncovered that show the disproportionate levels that humans have impacted the world around them. National Geographic for instance includes several different media resources on their website that investigate how the natural world is impacted by human activity. Among the topics that are discussed are light pollution, water pollution, air pollution, and more! The complexity is not to be missed. Humans can have as many positive contributions to the environment as they do the negative. Again, it is about realizing how the decisions we make and how they in turn impact the world around us.
The years to come are a point of reckoning for humanity as a whole. The way we live our daily lives and how we engage with the world around us is going to chart the course of our species' history. Our actions will also have an impact on those that we share this planet with and will also decide which ones will continue to do so with us. Our fates, our destinies, our journeys have always been intricately linked with the natural world. It is time for us to decide what kind of world we want to leave for ourselves and posterity. It is also time to find out what steps we can take...no matter how small.. that can lend themselves to the world we wish to build.
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