When Elephants Morn

Most Americans who are pet guardians are never amazed by the consciousness exhibited by their loved companions. The fact is advanced mammals such as primates, whales, elephants, horses, pigs, cats and dogs are sentient beings. Several world religions including Buddhism recognize their thinking and emotional existence. Finally, science has done so too. To think animals have consciousness is no longer immature or pendantic anthropomorphism. In late August last year, eminent international scientists gathered at Cambridge University to sign the Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness. They wrote that the absence of a hyper-developed neocortex that man possesses does not preclude a biological organism from experiencing conscious states and exhibiting intentional behavior. Cross-species friendships formed by animals in captivity and in the wild have been a revelation for humans. Behaviors that closely resemble human grief have been observed in primates as well as domesticated animals when a member of their group dies. Elephants quietly fondle the bones of their deceased relatives.  The Declaration is a belated major milestone for the recognition of higher animals' legal rights.

This recognition by humans of animal consciousness means animals have to be treated differently than they are currently. At a minimum animals should be treated according to a code of ethical human behavior. What this code of conduct means is still being worked out. Some animal advocates suggest higher order companion animals must be treated in the same way an autistic child would be treated. Whether "euthanasia" practiced on a mass scale in pounds and shelters can be tolerated or continued research using animal subjects is problematical. Current slaughtering and confinement practices in the livestock industry will also have to be reviewed and reformed to comply with our new scientific understanding of the lives of animals.