Home | Get Active | Living | TV | Shop | About PETA | Donate Now

News Flash: Animals Think, Plan for the Future

Written by PETA

Posted 04-30-2009

solarnavigator / CC

I just got a load of this scientific report and had to giggle a bit. Are scientists just now discovering that animals can think and plan for the future? According to one scientist quoted in the article, we humans should "keep our egos in check," as animals have been noticed expressing "human abilities," such as recognizing shapes and estimating numbers of objects.

Really, Sherlock? 'Cause Ms. Koko the gorilla speaks fluent sign language and not only still laments the death of her mother 30 years later but also says she plans on teaching her children sign language. And what about Santino, the stone-stockpiling chimpanzee? He definitely makes plans well in advance.

I'm just sayin', these animals make this report look a wee-bit outta date.

Written by Missy Lane

Tags:

house, Maxim, The Exorcist, monkey, horse, M.D., Levi's, NAFFEM, CARA, Gorilla, Koko, Santino

Recent Comments

carla commented:

May 4, 2009 1:36 PM

Ryan... bottom line.. YOU have no soul and most humans I know do not have souls. How the hell do you know that Animals do not have souls or feel pain? Ignorant comment from an ignorant person.
Rev. Meg Schramm commented:

May 4, 2009 12:41 PM

I had a friend who was the guardian of a retired Seeing Eye dog by the name of "Duchess." They were inseparable doing everything together even attending my wedding. When Duchess passed away my friend wanted to pay for flowers to be placed in the church chancel in her honor. Our pastor refused saying Duchess did not have a soul. My friend pleaded saying that the honor did not even have to be posted in the church bulletin with the other honors but the pastor still refused. We went to another church in the city spoke to that pastor and he not only allowed the flowers after the regular service he officiated at Duchess memorial service. When Hobbs my beloved feline companion of over 20 years passed away last summer I was just going to quietly mourn him but my friends asked to have a memorial service so we did. There is a lovely green area with a fountain in the center of the complex so we met there one Sunday afternoon and shared pictures and storiesI was amazed at how many pictures of Hobbs my friends had taken. The one of him and his friend Zag dressed in one of my square dance petticoats was the funniest. We drank a toast in his honor and gave away cat treats. Do I believe animals have souls? Yes I do. I believe everything living has a soul wether it has a nervous system and is able to feel pain as we understand it or not.
Derek, MD commented:

May 4, 2009 12:30 PM

Karen Unless the school wishes to deal with a lawyer they will find an acceptable alternative for your dissection i.e. computer simulation rather than fail you...just ask Ohio State U of Pennsylvania Colorado U and SUNYStonybrook...not to mention the state of California. You are protected by the First Amendment to object to dissection and should be provided with an alternative. The school cannot force you to dissect and if they try call their bluff.
Dean Lanning commented:

May 3, 2009 9:20 AM

I am not sure what any of you mean by soul and I do not believe in life after death but suffice it to say there is no difference between any mammal I dare say any life form in its place here. Pain anything that moves away from capture senses enough in my book to leave alone and not ride eat or cut open.
Jadey Alex commented:

May 2, 2009 11:12 PM

ryan the existence of something called soul is a belief since it has not been proved... I dont really believe that we humans have a ''soul'' that other living being dont have if the brain is the soul's seat than all beings who have a brain have a ''soul''... Pain is pain and all living being with a brain feel it the same exact way just as much as they experience the desire to live... If you ever rescued a nonhuman animal you would know how much they WANT to live... I've saved quite few animals in my life and I remember this little squirrel holding my finger in despair just so full of this desire to live and my husband says you should have heard the little boy screaming when he found him well he didnt exactly found him the little one felt on his head litteraly on his head while he was going out of his car it was like a human baby crying... Just because we dont always experiment the same feelings it doesnt me we dont all feel pain in the same way...
jess commented:

May 2, 2009 10:24 PM

Ryan I think humans are the souless ones because we are destroying everything precious. Your comment was just plain ignorant.
Francis commented:

May 2, 2009 7:03 PM

Oh my! Ryan how could you be so harsh! Animals and humans and plants and insects all have souls and equally can feel pain! They all equally provide for the Earth Mother! There is nothing more that I want to do than save every animal and creature in pain. It irritates me that humans can be so cruel!
Phoebe commented:

May 2, 2009 6:07 PM

Ryan souls are an abstract concept tied you your religion. If you indeed have one it just got a little darker with that post.
Dr. Zaius commented:

May 2, 2009 12:29 PM

last lines George Taylor Oh my God. I'm back. I'm home. All the time it was... We finally really did it. screaming George Taylor You Maniacs! You blew it up! Ah damn you! God damn you all to hell! OK! Read this! Any idiot who believes one needs a soul to feel is plain retarded! When physical harm occurs natural electrical synapses fire in the brain creating a painful sensation which any animal or man with a brain can feel no matter the "soul". Animals may appear primitive to us because we no longer share or connection to the natural world like we did long before we evolved a thumb. We were much like these gorillas and apes and personally I don't appreciate having another intelligent species to contend for resources with!
Dean Lanning commented:

May 2, 2009 11:13 AM

Do animals have souls? Of course not. Neither do humans. Both have life and it is precious regardless of whether they find sleep in a bed or tree or ocean. Anything that flees capture has a high enough sense of self to be left alone.

Page:

1
|
2
|
3
|
4

Post a Comment

Display Name *
Your Web Site
E-Mail *
Comment *

Sign me up for PETA E-News, a biweekly e-mail series.
* Required field(s).

By submitting this form, you are agreeing to our collection, storage, use, and disclosure of your personal info in accordance with our privacy policy as well as to receiving e-mails from us.

REPORT CRUELTY

If you have a general question for PETA and would like a response, please e-mail Info@peta.org. If you need to report cruelty to an animal, please click here. If you are reporting an animal in imminent danger and know where to find the animal and if the abuse is taking place right now, please call your local police department. If the police are unresponsive, please call PETA immediately at 757-622-7382 and press 2.

Recent Posts

Jeff Mackey

PETA to Philippine Airlines: Ground the Monkey Business!

Posted 5 hours ago
Michelle Kretzer

Celebrities Protest at Miami Seaquarium to Free Orca Lolita

Posted 05-22-2013
Alisa Mullins

An Adoption That Was Meant to 'Bea'

Posted 05-22-2013
Alisa Mullins

Man Who Chained Dog in Garage Barred From Owning Animals

Posted 05-21-2013
Jeff Mackey

Viola Davis: Ready to 'Help' Elephants Abused by Circuses

Posted 05-21-2013
Jeff Mackey

USDA Slams Bristol-Myers Squibb With Fine Over Monkey Deaths

Posted 05-20-2013
Alisa Mullins

Kids Put the 'Rad' in Colorado

Posted 05-20-2013
Alisa Mullins

IRS Harassed PETA, Too

Posted 05-17-2013
Michelle Kretzer

Hot Cars, Supermodels, Cute Dogs, the Cute Beatle, and Vegan Cookies—What More Could You Ask For?

Posted 05-17-2013
Alisa Mullins

Canine Murder Mystery on the James River

Posted 05-16-2013

PETA

Bunnies Drowned at Ohio Petland

Posted 08-04-2009

1,768 Comments
Michelle Kretzer

Elephant Interrupts McCartney's Olympic Rehearsal

Posted 07-26-2012

1,340 Comments
PETA

Why We Euthanize

Posted 03-21-2013

1,085 Comments
PETA

PETA's Statement on Eagles Vick Signing

Posted 08-14-2009

797 Comments
PETA

Do You Have 60 Seconds to Save Seals?

Posted 04-04-2011

784 Comments

PETA Tweets

Follow PETA on Twitter!

Most Shared

Feeds

_{Chicken Photo: © Rommel Manuel}

Almost all of us grew up eating meat, wearing leather, and going to circuses and zoos. We never considered the impact of these actions on the animals involved. For whatever reason, you are now asking the question: Why should animals have rights? Read more.

General Info:

Site Tools:

International Sites:

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
501 Front St., Norfolk, VA 23510 | 757-622-PETA (7382) | 757-622-0457 (fax)
PETA is a nonprofit, tax-exempt 501(c)(3) corporation.