Want to know what are the common things that connect people and animals?
Since I have been campaigning for animal rights, I often feel that most people have little appreciation for animal life.
Many people would like to save endangered species like polar bears or orangutans – but when it comes to cows, pigs, chickens and other “farm animals” the sympathy stops immediately.
“Animals are not human” and we “humans are smarter” are popular reasons for animal abuse and unavoidable Animal Cruelty.
But are we humans and animals really that different?
Whether it’s a dolphin, a dog, a cat or a cow – it’s the 21st century and it’s time to recognize the similarities between humans and animals in order to give all animals the life they deserve.
Here I present to you 10 common ones that will show you how similar we are to our animal friends.
What are the similarities between humans and animals?
It is true that we humans are not exactly like animals.
But animals are not too different from us humans.
Biologically, we humans are also animals.Homo sapiens is defined as a higher mammal from the primate order and belongs to the ape family.
DNA comparisons between humans and chimpanzees support this approach.
But in fact, every animal has something in common with us humans.
1. both see the world carefully
Like us humans, animals have a central nervous system₂ so they also sense the world very carefully.
They can hear, smell, taste, hear and see and perceive stimuli from the environment.
Many animals can do these things better than us humans.
Note: Many people justify their humanism with the argument “Do plants have feelings?”.
Although plants are naturally living creatures, they do not have a brain according to the current state of research.
2. both maintain public life
For example, the fact that they maintain an orderly social life.
In this social setting, each chicken knows its place – even friendships are made.
We are not the only people who love cleanliness!
An example from the animal world?
Even if the word “dirty pig” has appeared in the language of many people, pigs are completely clean animals.
Their wisdom, of course.
For example, studies have shown that pigs are smarter than three-year-olds.₅ And crows are creative, gifted with language and can use tools.
There are many examples of intelligence in animals that support this similarity to us humans.
Tip: Also, feel free to read my post about the tips we can learn from humans and animals!
Many know the feelings from the animal world for sure in their dogs or cats.
In fact, however, almost all animals show that they have emotions such as Happiness, Fear or even Loyalty can feel.
For example, many chickens and cookies like to hug and cows like to listen to music – behavior that surprises many people.
However, many people still put animals on the same level as plants.
Not all, but many animals recognize themselves in the mirror.
For example, monkeys, magpies, dolphins and pigs.
They all have what is called the Past Mirror test and it shows that you know yourself.
So the similarities between humans and animals also include self-awareness.₇
While I don’t want to rule out any form of Animal testing, Veterinary Medicine is very educational.
For example, with the relationship between stress and sudden heart failure, which is common in birds, rabbits and monkeys.
Like people, animals can have food intolerances or allergies.
The symptoms are the same, but in dogs, cats or horses, for example, they are more concerned with gastrointestinal and skin complaints.₈
Warning: Rinderpest or the Corona epidemic are consequences of our treatment of animals.
Rethinking is one of the things that we the people of the covid19 epidemic have to learn.
What else unites humans and animals?
We humans may not be able to directly translate and understand the mooing of a cow or the crowing of a rooster – but this is how animals communicate.
When we defend the rights of animals in our society – which we humans give – we must however give them the word “human” in order to improve their living conditions.
What other things do humans and animals have in common?
We both know how to remember faces and recognize them.
In a study done by the University of Cambridge Sheep, for example, compare President Obama’s faces with an amazing stroke rate. ₉ Even Crows and Chickens can memorize faces and remember their thoughts about them.
However, the ability to recognize faces does not only work on human faces, but also on faces among animals themselves.
BOTH WANT TO LIVE
“All animals know, except man, that the highest goal of life is happiness.” – this quote by British contemporary writer Samuel Butler represents another commonality between humans and animals: the will to live.
However, the way we humans treat the majority of all animals creates the impression that we ignore the desire to live and the happiness of animals.
In the factory, cows, pigs or chickens try to get out of the slaughter boxes as soon as they smell the blood of their species.
No human or animal sentient in our world wants to die willingly.
Use common human and animal behavior to treat each other with respect
Respect for animals – and then respect for other people!
Because let’s be honest: how big of a mental block would it be to harm another person, if it is already considered a crime in our society to harm animals?
We are in a good position to be able to prey on animals, but should we do so if we don’t have to?
Humans and animals have many things in common.
Humans and animals have many things in common.
Humans and animals have many things in common.
We should use common standards to put ourselves in the best shoes of animals.
Humans and animals are alike in many of their ways and thoughts – even though they can be very different from us humans in appearance (fur and feathers).
All animals must be treated equally-justly by us, so that Speciesism will win
Or can you think of other similarities between humans and animals?
Now feel free to write me a comment!
PS: Today you learned what humans and animals have in common.
For example, learn what you do against factory farming in everyday life.
Dambeck: Genetic comparison – chimpanzees and humans are almost identical (as of 31.08.2005), https://t1p.de/metg.
[12.04.2021].₂ Toshiyuki Saito (2002): Functional study of the central nervous system for livestock, https://t1p.de/azf2.
[12.04.2021].₃ PETA Deutschland e.V.: Chicken – 10 amazing facts about chickens (from June 2006), https://www.peta.de/themen/huehner.
Petras: Pigs are Wise, http://www.agtiere.de/tierschutz-info/info-schweine.
Brunke: Behavioral Behavior in Animals, https://t1p.de/faq7.
[12.04.2021].₇ PETA Deutschland e.V.: Self-reflection: These 5 animals recognize themselves in the mirror (as of September 2018), https://t1p.de/d4wc.
[12.04.2021].₈ MTA – DAS PORTAL: Disagreement – What humans and animals have in common (as of: 26.08.2017), https://t1p.de/lbe5.
[12.04.2021].₉ University of Cambridge: Sheep can recognize human faces from photographs, available at https://t1p.de/12a7.