There is something so adorable about puppies and baby elephants and kittens and so on. In fact the young of practically any animal gives us go aww, gives us that rush of what is called cute aggression. Generally, donkeys are not thought of as beautiful creatures, but have you seen their babies! So when chimp babies play, we want to look:
There is a baby chimp lying on (presumably) its mother and another adult nuzzles the little one who seems to be enjoying it all a great deal.
The genuine affection and joy of the moment is plain to see – it is something that puts a smile on the face.
It certainly seems that way – I didn’t know that chimps are capable of being ticked or able to laugh!
As human beings we share 99% of our DNA with chimps who are among our closest relatives.
According to scientists, 99% of genes in humans have counterparts in the mouse and 80%have identical one to one counterparts.
‘A family that plays together stays together’ said the original tweet. Play is a great way for families to bond – human and otherwise.
According to this twitter user, this is ‘more than human’ and a lesson for those who believe that animals don’t have emotions.
This type of horrifying news continues to make headlines in today’s India. Religious, caste and class divides continue to be starkly defined and rigidly enforced. Horrifying things are done in the name of honour; the death of a child is still preferred to the child daring to make their own choices in so many cases.
As humans behave in utterly inhuman ways perhaps it is up to animals to remind us about the gentleness and love and joy that being a family actually means. The chimp family lovingly playing with each other seems a lot more functional than many dysfunctional human families.
Do you have something interesting you would like to share? Write to us at [email protected]
