5 APRIL 2023 NAKED APES

My cat communicates many things with his tail. It is a very long tail and he whips it back and forth when he is angry. He often wants to have his way, so when I scold him for jumping on the kitchen counter, where he likes to watch the birds outside the window; or for taking bites out of my houseplants, he lets me know he isn’t happy. I often wonder why humans don’t have tails. They are very useful. Many animals use them to help them balance. Some use them to wrap around tree trunks where they act like an extra arm. Fish use them to propel them through the water. Many grazing animals use their tails to swat away flies.

Yesterday, after a spring snowstorm dumped more than a foot of snow here, I amused myself watching the wildlife outside. I saw at least half a dozen juncos foraging in the snow around the birdfeeders. The only time I see these charcoal grey and white birds is when it snows. Later, when the snow had let up, I watched a squirrel digging beneath it to retrieve the peanuts that he had previously buried there. A while later, a hawk sat majestically on a chunk of snow, in the middle of the street, scanning for prey until an oncoming car scared it away. Regardless of the weather, these animals must eat. They have fur or feathers that protect them from the cold and the wet.

Not only do we humans lack tails; we also lack insulation that keeps other species warm. Author and zoologist Desmond Morris, referred to us as naked apes. We have learned to survive in spite of our lack of tails or feathers. In doing so; however, we have exploited our Earth. We have cut down forests to build our own homes and to heat them. Thinking only of ourselves, we have destroyed the homes of thousands of other species. While I sit here in the comfort of my heated home, with running water and food in my refrigerator, with warm blankets and a comfortable bed, I cannot help feeling somewhat ashamed.

There have been small groups of humans that have managed to live in harmony with other species. I can do very little to atone for the suffering that my fellow man has cause to our non-human relatives. I cannot bring back the ancient trees that have been felled. I feed the birds and other wildlife. I provide water for them in a small birdbath. I seek to cause them no more harm. I am a naked ape. I do not have a tail, nor feathers, nor fur; but I have a heart. I have compassion. I have respect for all the other species with which I share this planet. What more can I do?