In first, Japanese researchers observe chimp mother, sister caring for disabled infant

www.japantimes.co.jp...

A Japanese study of a chimpanzee mother caring for her disabled infant in the wild has shed light on how humans developed their social behavior.

The first-of-its-kind study by a team of Kyoto University researchers was published Monday in the online edition of Primates, an international journal of primatology.

Born in January 2011 in a chimpanzee group in Tanzania’s Mahale Mountains National Park, the female infant was “severely disabled,” exhibiting “symptoms resembling Down syndrome,” according to a summary of the team’s findings.

That's awesome! I mean, my heart broke for the disabled infant chimp but the fact the mother and elder sister cared for it just obviously shows you how much we have in common. Warms the old heart witnessing such miracles.

An observation of a severely disabled infant chimpanzee in the wild and her interactions with her mother

Meet Charlie and Jack, a blind horse and a goat who leads him so he doesn't get hurt.

Mammals who are not human are the most awesome of all species. Many times I am unable to watch vids about humans slaughtering/ maiming /attacking/ shooting innocent animals.

It makes me far, far more nauseated to see a story about villagers attacking a mother Orangutan and her baby who were fleeing a forest fire....

or horses abandoned and left without forage or water....

or a cat who was tossed out of his house and had his leg smashed to render it nearly useless and crawled under a neighbor's eave....

or a mother elephant rescuing her baby from flooding....

or some asshat dentist killing a venerable lion....

or poachers chopping off the front of the face of a rhinoceros.

or a dog who won't leave the spot where his human companion died....

or a cat who travels for months and multiple hundreds of miles to get back to the family who abandoned them....

than it does to watch war scenes (those, too,make me sick, and discouraged, and despairing, but - seeing as how it's done ON PURPOSE, for no REAL REASON except greed, hatred, and animosity - I have a hard time caring anymore).

You know what, people? It's grotesque, shameful, and hideous that these things happen.
There's NO REASON for it.
It's just brutal, insensitive, stone-hearted, and ugly. Whether it's the brutal, senseless slaughter of non-human mammals, or the same slaughter and treatment of other humans - especially women and children - it's all equally disgusting.

But somehow I feel worse about the non-human mammals.

If evolution dictates that the strongest survives then what would be the evolutionary advantage of caring for a disable off spring.

Why wouldn't the group outcast this disabled baby.

THAT was amazing and such an insight to other animals and their compassion!

I must say that goat, Jack, had the most impressive swagger!

S & F!

S&F for research in human behavior

I wonder why humans have problem with relating to other humans if their not children. Mamals display features that we try to adopt mostly the cardinal virtues; but we always fall off.

a reply to: Swills

cool story about the chimps, i've seen the one about the horse and goat before. kinda breaks your heart to see the goat with out the horse.

i also like this one about the lion tigger and bear.

originally posted by: thebabyseagull
If evolution dictates that the strongest survives then what would be the evolutionary advantage of caring for a disable off spring.

Why wouldn't the group outcast this disabled baby.

It's a complicated subject.
But in a nutshell, apes are extremely social creatures. Females long for offspring, not because they want to pass on their genes, but because its in their genetics to harbor and give birth to the most dominant male in their life they really don't care what their offspring turns out to be, it's theirs, and their job is to care for what came out of them.
It would be even more interesting if the male of the child found out and accepted the infant in the long run.
I am sure in a decade or so we will find out.

a reply to: thebabyseagull

It's increasingly theorized that mere survival of the fittest is not how evolved biology tends to work, but instead, that temporary losses of "fitness" may confer potential indirect or longer term "fitness" gains on a net basis over time. Look up biological altruism and reciprocity. It's really interesting imho!

Peace.

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

Thank you for the share!

What a great story, what a sad example of excess in the world that just because one can afford an exotic pet that one MUST have that pet.

I like the founder of the ARK, she seems like a good soul.

a reply to: Swills

Thank you for posting this. Thanks to all who have added to more videos. They are indeed heartwarming.
My little female cat just watched the big cats and bear vid from the back of my chair! It is seldom that she pays any attention whatsoever to this screen but when she heard the first big cat sound, she turned around and began looking at the screen.

One of the wonders of the wildlife in our back yard is that we've never witnessed the wild creatures engaging in any sort of violent behavior toward other species. We watched via our outdoor cameras a fox and 'possum encounter where the 'possum had found the goodies before fox arrived. When the fox trotted up, we were sure the 'possum would flee and leave the food for the fox. Not so. Ole Petey the 'possum turned, looked at the fox and continued eating as though fox weren't there. Freddy Fox wasn't going to trot on his way though...he was smelling something that smelled pretty good so he circled around until he was behind Petey and used his nose to "bip", not bite, the 'possum's tail. The first bip drew a glance from Petey, nothing more---sort of a bothered air. The second bip kinda ticked Ole Petey off though, this young pup interrupting his dinner, so he turned to face Freddy and showed him a whole mouthful of pointy, sharp teeth as he gave a big hiss! Freddy's retreat was as they say, "Quick as a fox." but not far.

He wasn't ready to give up. One of the few times we've ever seen a fox sit still, he sat watching Petey eat for nearly a minute and decided to try again. He varied his tactic this time by not sneaking up behind Petey but making a mad dash at him from the side, veering to bip the tail again and dash away.

Petey didn't startle, just turned and looked at him again with a look that said (to me anyway) "He's not going to give up." He ate a few more bites, grabbed a hunk of cornbread and ambled off to his favorite den in a nearby tree.

We did witness a mother squirrel become vexed with one of her youngsters to point that she smacked him so hard he fell out of the tree. He picked himself up, scampered back up the tree and into the den. Didn't bother his Mama any more that afternoon.... That Mama had five babies and as we watched the one get on her last nerve, my Beloved turned to me and said, "Do you know how she fells?" just moments before she lost it and whacked the little bratty kid.

We couldn't help laughing until we were crying!

Thanks again for bringing these critters to our attention.

For so long we humans have given no consideration to other animals for having feelings, emotions, empathy, etc. Many of us treat other animals like their lives have little or no value at all. It’s a cryin’ shame. Our inflated egos and feelings of superiority seems to have bred some ugly traits into our species.

Good thread...

originally posted by: thebabyseagull
If evolution dictates that the strongest survives then what would be the evolutionary advantage of caring for a disable off spring.

Why wouldn't the group outcast this disabled baby.

Evolution doesn't have anything to do with this.

a reply to: Swills
Good post. S&f. I have seen the horse and goat video before. Just showed it to my cat, who attentively watched.