26 April 2010

Loyal to the death



This is a very painful video to watch.
And yet I couldn't take my eyes off it.
I will never forget the image of this squirrel, hovering protectively over the body of a second squirrel. I am guessing, from the location of the body, the first animal had been struck by a car and killed. But those are not the details that matter.

The surviving squirrel fiercely protects what is left of the other squirrel. Could this be maternal instinct that did not die with her offspring? Could this be something else perhaps?

In case anyone ever has any doubts about the emotional intelligence that thrives within these tiny bodies, watch this video. Then watch it again.

5 comments:

merinz said...

That is amazing, and humbling too.

Chet Gottfried said...

Mammalian brains are mammalian brains, and all mammals share common thoughts and emotions--and dreams. To credit humans with being superior (i.e., emotions and all that) is just one more vanity.

squirrelmama said...

I could not have said it better than that, Chet. Right you are. Right you both are!

Sid Soni said...

Touching video. Credit to the person who captured these moments.

Chet's point is so apt.

squirrelmama said...

Siddharth,
I agree - and for so many reasons. The whole scene is both tragic and fascinating, and drives home the point that we humans really fail to comprehend much of what is going on in this world because we see it only through the filter that interprets it by our standards, and ours alone.