I bet you’ve heard the term “dumb animals” before. There’s a perception that animals are dumb and that we humans are superior in every way. Well, I have news for you. Animals and birds are not dumb. Oh, I know some of you may disagree. I know I did at one time. That was before I learned about Alex and Chaser and before my first-hand experience with McDuff, a Scottish terrier therapy dog as smart as he was stubborn.
The December 2011 issue of National Geographic Magazine contains an article entitled, “Minds of their Own. Animals are smarter than you think.” In it we are introduced to Alex, an African grey parrot, and Dr. Irene Pepperberg, a psychologist from Brandeis and Harvard Universities. Dr. Pepperberg bought Alex from a pet store when he was a year old. She studied and work with Alex all of his life until his death in 2007 at the age of thirty-one.
Alex learned one hundred fifty words and could categorize them. He counted up to six and had a basic understanding of the abstract concept of zero. Alex knew colors, sizes, and shapes. When shown a blue paper triangle, he told Dr. Pepperberg the color, shape, and after touching it, what it was made of. He understood the difference between big and small, same and different, and over and under.
Alex picked up one liners from the lab workers like “calm down,” and “good morning.” He expressed frustration and boredom. When Dr. Pepperberg put Alex into his cage for the night in September 2007, he looked at her and said, “You be good. I love you.” Those were the last words she would ever hear from him. She found Alex dead in his cage the next morning.
In her research paper, “The Alex Studies,” Dr. Pepperberg provides ample proof that parrots are smarter than we’re led to believe. Dumb bird? Not Alex. He wasn’t parroting, he was thinking.
And then there’s Chaser, a black and white border collie with a vocabulary of over 1,000 words. John Pilley and Alliston Reid are the Wofford College psychologists who worked with Chaser for the last three years. John owns and trains Chaser and Alliston comes up with the experiments. Chaser knows 1,022 proper noun names for various objects. She understands that objects have names and knows that they may have more than one name. She can combine names and commands.
Pilley and Reid published their research in the Journal of Behavioral Processes. Through their work with Chaser we know that the learning capacity of a dog is greater than we originally believed. Pilley, who is retired, says that Chaser is so eager to learn that he has to go to bed at 8:00 p.m. just to get away from her.
Chaser is a celebrity with numerous TV appearances, YouTube video, and newspaper articles. No way Chaser can be called a dumb animal. And from my personal experience with a Scottie with off-the-chart intelligence and you won’t believe stubbornness, I know animals can outsmart us.
Dumb Animals? Here’s Kurt Vonnegut, Jr’s take on the subject: “We are impossibly conceited animals, and actually dumb as heck. Ask any teacher. You don’t even have to ask a teacher. Ask anybody. Dogs and cats are smarter than we are.”
What’s your take?
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2 comments:
Wow, for Alex to say goodbye to his person, amazing!
I know first hand that animals are intelligent. I get a kick out of watching my cats process things. I can see the understanding/questioning in their eyes.
Thank you for being a strong advocate thru your writing and public speaking for [vulnerable] animals everywhere.
Annie, I know that you are a fellow animal lover, especially cats. I love them, too. From my earliest childhood memory, I've been connected to all animals and still feel the kinship. My great grandmother was Native American and I think there is something of her in me.
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