Earth Blog: Anthropomorphism - "Our" Love to the Animals

On October 8th, a celebration was held for the 10th birthday of Salsa and Onca—two original jaguars at the Jacksonville Zoo. I found it interesting upon seeing this announcement how human the celebration was. Having read about anthropomorphism in Rachel Carson’s Under the Sea-Wind, I understood portraying animals through a human lens. This however, seemed to take it to another level.

The birthday invitation wrote: “The birthday 'bash' will begin with the crowd singing happy birthday at 1:00 p.m. immediately followed by the two enrichment cakes being appropriately hunted and eaten by the honorees. Guests will be served cookies, while supplies last, and can sign an enlarged birthday card.”

I’m pretty sure the Jaguars didn't care if it was their birthday but people were proud to celebrate the years they've been able to enjoy them. It made sure to mention that the Jaguars came to the zoo because they were rejected by their mother, which is certain to trigger an emotional human response. This would make people feel a parental need to care for them because their mother wouldn't. This also encourages a sense that their lives are better at the zoo.

I found the image of a large group of people singing to the animals and signing a card to celebrate them a bit comical. It was also ironic that the hiding enrichment cakes would be 'hunted'. How does a long range animal hunt in an exhibit? And not meat but 'cake'. My anthropomorphic response: a voice for the Jaguar saying, “Really guys?” Still, there is a part of me that thinks how entertaining it would be for the baby jags.

As a human myself, there is also something very sweet and cute about the whole affair. I don’t mean to sound cynical because I tend to humanize animal’s emotions a lot. I 'rescued' my cats from outdoors when one of the three in their litter died. I just refused to let it happen again and I couldn't just take one of them because I thought it would devastate the brothers to be apart, especially after loosing one sibling already. This case of anthropomorphism seemed to work in their favor though. They have no shortage of blankets or laps to cozy up on to feel safe and comfortable. Oh wait, there I go again.

There are dangers to anthropomorphism though. In an article called For Love of Nature, Jennifer Laddino discusses the premise that Grizzly Man, for example, “represents an approach to the natural world that is deeply infused with human ideals of love", an issue of bringing love to nature—and imagining nature loving us in return. The story of Grizzly man, while somehow romantically infused, doesn't end well. He spent his summer’s with bears and mistook his luck of not being attacked with their 'love'. Eventually, he was killed by one despite all his connection to the creatures.

Watch: Grizzly Man Trailer

• How does this love reflect human ideals about nature and culture?
• How is love among nonhuman animals imagined and represented?
• Does love function divisively, to further separate humans from nonhuman nature, or is love figured as a means of bridging the human–animal divide?
• And does love become yet another kind of mastery over animals, an emotional–political way to distinguish “them” from “us” (p.4)?

There are some questions to think about.

Caring about animals makes people feel good...but so does the idea that they care that you care. No-one said love was uncomplicated. So is there really so much wrong with humans gathering to celebrate a love for an animal’s life? I don't think so. Hey we are human after all and we're going to have human emotions. Even if it is a bit more for us than for them, they are still being appreciated and that is helpful in the larger psych. Especially as animals face dwindling numbers and loss of homes. But I think it is important to remember that there is a divide between the wild animal beyond tamed walls of human ideals and the caged animal, subdued by human interaction. Our human emotions project onto them because we care. But if these jaguars were in their natural habitat, I don't think people would be as keen to clasping their hands together and oohing and awing while singing birthday tunes to the big cats. Not unless they want to be the cake.

1. Interdiscip Stud Lit Environ (2009) 16 (1): 53-90. doi: 10.1093/isle/isp002. For the Love of Nature: Documenting Life, Death, and Animality in Grizzly Man and March of the Penguins. http://isle.oxfordjournals.org/content/16/1/53.full

2. Jacksonville Zoo Website (2011) Salsa & Onca’s 10th Birthday Celebration.http://ht.ly/6PoRi