Everyday Biophilia

“If you give a screwdriver to a chimpanzee, it will try to use the tool for everything except its intended purpose. Give one to a gorilla, and it will first rear back in horror – ‘Oh my God, it’s going to hurt me!’ – then try to eat it, and ultimately forget about it. Give it to orangutan, however, and the ape will first hide it and then, once you have gone, use it to dismantle the cage.”                                          — Ben Beck,                                                             ...

 When I was three or four years old I horrified my mother when she discovered that both front pockets of my little blue jeans were stuffed full of earthworms. I was fascinated by animals then, and I remain fascinated by them today. Over the years my animal companions have included four dogs, four cats, numerous goldfish, a couple of full aquarium set-ups – one with cichlids, and one with a tiger oscar – three mice, a rat, two black widow spiders, a garter snake, a fish tank full of crayfish, two ornate box turtles, an emperor scorpion, a horned toad, and a tank full of tadpoles, five of which fully metamorphosed into frogs and were released into a nearby pond. I would have to say that I got along, by and large, with all of those animals. Yes, I’ve been griped at by a dog that wanted to go outside, and both of the box turtles peed on me, as did the garter snake, and who amongst us has not been audience to a cat as it aired its daily litany of grievances, but these were minor bum...