Lessons We Can Learn From Animals!

As Singapore is a concrete jungle, it is not surprising that many are quite ignorant where animals are concerned. Some primary school students have not even seen live pigs before. Probably this is why, now schools and even community centres are conducting farm tours for the children.

The headlines in yesterday's New Paper read, "3 Hours of Monkey Mayhem". Some monkeys have invaded the homes in Bukit Timah, grabbing whatever food they could find in the kitchen and garden. In a bid to deal with these uninvited guests, a family put a cage with fruits, but the clever monkeys refused to be trapped. Except for a little baby monkey. Of course the monkeys fought hard in a bid to rescue the little one.

It is amazing how protective most animals are towards their young. I learnt this some two decades ago. My second sister, Ean Ean who lived in Melbourne, had misunderstood the advertisement. She thought she was bringing her dog, Max, to exchange for some rabbits. Her children, had without her permission, adopted the dog. Sis felt that it was beyond her family's budget to keep a dog. We drove to a home in the suburbs. It was a home in a farm. As sister was talking to the owner, I was suddenly taken aback when I saw a cat chasing Max around the farm. The cat was ferocious. Max ran for his life. I could not help laughing because it was really quite hilarious! A cat chasing a big dog! What a sight! The owner then explained to us that the cat had just given birth to some kittens. Max had unknowingly wandered near her kittens. From then, I realised how wonderful animals were to love and protect their young.

Back home in Singapore I had another experience. I rescued a cat from the dustbin in my neighbourhood. I had caught some naughty teenagers putting the cat in the bin and gave them a piece of my mind. To my surprise, the cat followed me home. I told the cat that I could not let her in because she would not be welcome by Kamlette, my pet dog. The cat heard some barking from inside the apartment and understood. She decided to sleep outside the entrance of my flat.! Later I decided to put a basket with some cloths to make the cat more comfortable. One day, to my pleasant surprise, the cat gave birth to some kittens. The mother cat was quite comfortable and never once moved the kittens to another place. Soon the kittens grew bigger.

One morning, as I was going to the market, I saw a young cat. I wondered how it could have come down from my apartment and strayed so far away from the mother cat. I picked up the cat and brought it home to the mother. To my shock, the mother cat spanked the newcomer and was aggresive towards it. Only then did I realise that it was not her kitten!

Once I was walking Kambobo, my rough collie, around the neighbourhood. Suddenly a cat sprang from nowhere and attacked my dog! Bobo was a gentle giant who did not believe in fighting with an animal one quarter his size. I had to use my shoe to ward off the cat in a bid to protect Bobo. My loud voice must have scared off the cat. Though I could not see her kittens, I knew the cat must have just given birth.

What lessons can we learn from bitches? They can put some human beings to shame. Especially those people who do not protect their offsprings. Some ladies with unwanted pregnancies had no qualms about flushing their newborn down the toilet or throwing them down the rubbish chute! If mothers could not keep their babies, they should at least put them up for adoption!

Animals! They are lesser than man, yet we can learn some lessons from them.

Gan Chau