Memories...
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Saw something fascinating on National Geographic Channel just now.
There was this leopard, who hunted down an adult monkey and killed it. The sad thing is that, the mummy monkey left behind a baby monkey, no older than a few months. What unfolded next was truly fascinating. The leopard went over to the baby monkey, circled it for a while, and then gently nuzzled it. The baby didn't know how to react, having just witnessed its mummy killed by the leopard.
Night was approaching, and hyenas were on the run as usual in the African plains. The leopard gently bit the baby monkey by its neck and climbed up a tall tree, where it laid down the baby to rest. The baby, still feeling confused, attempted to climb higher up the tree out of the reach of the leopard. The leopard stretched out its paws, again tenderly, to try and bring the baby monkey back. When it couldnt reach the baby's body, the leopard pulled the monkey's tail (haha), and again brought it back to the leopard's side.
The baby monkey, feeling tired and cold, began to nestle in the leopard's hug. The leopard (an adult female) again nuzzled it gently, and tried to provide warmth for the monkey by 'hugging' it closely to its body.
Unfortunately, according to the documentary, the baby monkey still died the next morning due to coldness, and probably lack of food.
Why the leopard didnt kill the baby monkey just as it did to the monkey's mummy is truly puzzling, yet fascinating. We all noe that nature is wild, and since young, we are taught in our science textbooks that out there in the jungles, it is survival of the fittest that counts. Predators hunt and kill those old, weak, young prey. That's the name of the game.
Why then, didnt the adult leopard kill the baby monkey? It sure wasnt just "playing" or toying with it, as the documentary highlighted that it seemed genuine that the leopard was trying to take care of the baby monkey that night.
A deadly killer one minute, and a caring creature the next.
Maybe animals do have conscience after all.