Unlikely Friendships - Jennifer S. Holland [12]
But no matter how forthcoming, consider the obstacles that these two animals had to surmount in order to show affection. They couldn’t take a walk together, or wrestle, or cuddle, or share a bone. In fact, the only physical contact between dog and fish was one wet nose to another. Yet friends they seemed to become.
Mary Heath and her husband had a backyard pond full of koi. Chino, never particularly interested in other dogs he met on the street, was instead enticed by these unfamiliar creatures and their fluid movement beneath the water. He’d stretch out at the pond’s edge on the warm rocks, watching as the fish circled and descended and rose up to feed.
The dog’s interest grew when the Heaths moved to a new home and built a new pond with a great perch for the pup. Just two of their original fish moved with the family, including the large, tame, orange and black beauty Falstaff. With fewer swimmers to distract him, Chino focused on Falstaff, and the two discovered a mutual curiosity. “They’d meet at the edge of the pond, and Chino would lean or lie down and put his nose in the water,” says Mary. “They’d touch noses or Falstaff would nibble Chino’s front paws.” She says Falstaff was one of the few creatures whose presence got a tail wag out of the old dog. “The first thing Chino would do when we let him outside was go look for that fish,” she says, “and Falstaff would come right over.” Then Chino would lie flat on his belly for a half hour or more, she says, completely captivated by his water-bound pal.
The fish brain is a tiny thing, and no one really knows whether a carp has the capacity for an experience like friendship. But something brought these unlike animals together day after day. Perhaps it was the food pellets Falstaff knew to expect whenever another species approached the pond. Or maybe the mind of a fish can process more complex concepts than just eat, swim, mate, or flee, especially this type of fish—a genetic far cry from your fancy-tailed carnival prize. In parts of Asia, koi, with their regal beauty, smarts, and strength, represent the ability to overcome adversity and move forward with great courage. For some, they are also symbols of good fortune.
And the golden retriever, well, whatever the brain power, it’s hard to find one without a lolling tongue and curious nature, ready to offer a friendly wag of the tail.
{CALIFORNIA, U.S.A., 1984}
The Gorilla and the Kitten
WESTERN LOW LAND GORILLA
KINGDOM: Animalia
PHYLUM: Chordata
CLASS: Mammalia
ORDER: Primates
FAMILY: Homonidae
GENUS: Gorilla
SPECIES: G. gorilla
This tale has become a classic, revealing just how capable of emotion some of our closest nonhuman relatives are.
Koko the gorilla had a best friend that fit in the palm of her hand.
It was 1984 when the 230-pound ape, taught to communicate in American Sign Language, drew two fingers across her cheek like whiskers. It was a signal to her teacher at the Gorilla Foundation, Francine “Penny” Patterson, that she wanted a cat for her birthday. The teacher wasn’t surprised; she had been reading to Koko for years, and the ape’s most beloved stories were “The Three Little Kittens” and “Puss in Boots.” Unfulfilled by a stuffed animal, Koko was eventually given her pick from a litter of abandoned kittens. She chose a morsel of fur so tiny the gorilla could have crushed him with barely a squeeze. Instead, she cuddled the tailless gray male like a child would a doll, and named him All Ball.
Koko was smitten. She treated Ball as other gorillas treated their babies, carrying him tucked in her thigh, trying to nurse him, tickling and scratching him, even playing dress-up by draping napkins over his body and head. Seeming to know her own strength, she handled him gently, even tolerating his kitten bites without a hint of aggression in return. When asked by her teacher if she loved her little Ball, Koko