In an age of instant gratification, is it too much to ask that we collectively stop for just a moment and think before acting? A recent video of a terrified javelina running through a Tucson, Ariz., neighborhood sparked an online onslaught of jokes and memes. But all this wild animal was doing was frantically searching for safety. Making light of his fear and desperation is an ugly _ and unthinking _ response.
From dolphins dying at the hands of selfie-takers to cats being scared out of their wits by the unexpected presence of a cucumber (which to them resembles a snake), exploiting animals for laughs has been a regrettable trend in recent years, driven by the public's insatiable desire to post online content. But using animals as props or reveling in their misery does nothing to further what we need now more than ever: kindness and respect. Sharing or "liking" a mean-spirited video only perpetuates the cycle of incivility.
Would the same mob that killed the baby dolphin still decide to pass her around as a selfie prop if they knew that, as with all dolphins, her skin was so sensitive that it could actually feel sound waves in the water? According to marine mammologist Denise Herzing, who for many years has been studying the cognitive and language abilities of wild spotted dolphins, these keenly intelligent animals can even "buzz and tickle each other at a distance."
As if it weren't unjust enough that wild animals are crammed into cages at the zoo and forced to live their entire lives subjected to the will of a zookeeper, another recent fad is for parents to tease tigers and bears by dangling their toddlers in front of them and videotaping their frustrated attempts to "attack" the child through the glass. What kind of parent would put their children at risk and taunt wild animals just to get "likes" on social media?
Then there's the person who gives a bunny a balloon to play with, only to cackle with delight when the "pop" leaves the rabbit in a paroxysm of fear. Or the guy who has a good ol' belly laugh after startling his sleeping dog by yelling and clapping. Or a calf taken away from his mother to be used in a petting zoo who desperately suckles on the "udder" of a child's Halloween costume. That's not amusing, it's gut-wrenching. But let's assume these people are simply thoughtless, not cruel. There's still no reason to encourage this kind of callous behavior by passing along the link or giving it a thumbs-up.
Animals already live in a world fraught with danger. Deer live in fear of being blasted to death in the woods, fish are caught on a hook and hauled out of their aquatic home to suffocate, coyotes die in agony after being poisoned, live chickens are scalded to death in defeathering tanks ... the list goes on and on. The ways in which we hurt animals is endless, and it's time for everyone to take an honest look into their own hearts.
Every decision we make can be either benevolent or harmful. Choosing to extend kindness doesn't just benefit the recipient. In the words of inspirational author Dr. Orison Swett, "The man who practices unselfishness, who is genuinely interested in the welfare of others, who feels it a privilege to have the power to do a fellow creature a kindness ... will be an elevating influence wherever he goes."
