Jeremy Rifkin's A Change of Heart About Animals suggests that animals are more like us than we imagined. In his article, Rifkin cites several credible research findings that prove that animals are more like us than we thought.
Rifkin encourages the public to treat animals the way we treat each other. Proving his stand that these animals can think like humans, Rifkin outlines studies that provide evidence about how witty these animals are:
Scientists at Oxford University reported that two birds named Betty and Abel were given a choice between using two tools, one a straight wire, the other a hooked wire, to snag a piece of meat from inside a tube. Both chose the hooked wire.
Equally impressive is Koko, the 300-pound gorilla at the Gorilla Foundation in Northern California, who was taught sign language and has mastered more than 1,000 signs and understands several thousand English words. On human IQ tests, she scores between 70 and 95.
At the Washington National Zoo, orangutans are given mirrors to explore parts of their bodies they can't otherwise see, showing a sense of self. An orangutan named Chantek who lives at the Atlanta Zoo used a mirror to groom his teeth and adjust his sunglasses.
Animals, like humans also experience grief. Elephants will often stand next to their dead kin for days, occasionally touching their bodies with their trunks.
Another study funded by companies such as McDonald's, Burger King and KFC have found that pigs need affection and playtime with each other. The lack of mental and physical incitements can result in decline of health.
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