MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 26 October) — I thought of writing this piece after watching a video about an elephant herd that traveled 12 hours to mourn the passing of a human who once rescued them and placed them under his care inside a reserve in South Africa.
Strange how the elephants came to know of the death of Lawrence Anthony, who was known as “The Elephant Whisperer” because he used words and gestures to connect with the massive beasts. And, hold your breath, the animals always came back to his house on the same day each year to pay their respects. Maybe there really are things that science alone could not explain.
The video made me remember my personal experiences with animals, with dogs in particular.
Four years ago, our dog named Baisha died after 10 years with us. I felt the pain most because I was beside her as she lay dying, stroking her body to comfort her until her eyes closed for the last time.
As I was about to lay her inside her grave in our yard our two other dogs, JB and JJ, approached and whined while looking at Baisha. I could tell they were mourning that I let several minutes pass before putting the soil back into the pit.
Months later, JJ was hit by a passing car after he slipped out of the gate unnoticed. I buried him beside the guava tree in our front yard. After a few hours my son Aries, who didn’t know where I had buried JJ, arrived to pick some ripe guavas. He was standing right on the spot where our pet was buried.
What happened next startled me. JB went to Aries and bit him gently on the leg while whining. I knew right away that he was mad because somebody was standing on JJ’s grave. A human was desecrating his friend’s resting place!
Yes, animals feel like we do. They treasure their friendship with humans and their kind. They are capable of loving, of showing gratitude. And, perhaps, the kind of love that they give is nobler because it sets no conditions and asks for nothing in return.
(MindaViews is the opinion section of MindaNews. H. Marcos C. Mordeno can be reached at hmcmordeno@gmail.com.)
