Do wild animals know it when you saved their life?

[Noo]

Case in point:

 

[John Connor]

I see animal videos like this all the time and often wondered the same thing. My thinking is they don't give a shit because they don't have that thankfulness built into their brains like we do. They are animals... Dogs though. I think they do have a better understanding unlike a cat or deer.

 

[HeXen]

No...no they don't. But they do seem to know when you're trying to kill them.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Nope, which is why I don't suffer any qualms over my pigeon sex dungeon.

 

[Noo]

There was another video where a cop saved a pitbull that was stuck on a fence. The dog ran away as soon as it was freed....when the cop walked back into his car only to find the dog sat in the passenger seat.

Then again, dogs know human.

 

[T9D]

Yeah they know. At first they will freak out as you get close, but when it's obvious you are helping them they usually calm down. And may even linger some or sit in your hand when freed (like a bird), then move on at a normal pace. Their whole life is about survival, enemies and friends, they know when they are in a perilous situation. They know who is helping them and who wants to harm them. That's how they get through daily life day in and day out. (I've helped many random animals in my life)

 

[BladeVenom]

I think some do. Hence the popular video of a dolphin coming up to a diver to get fishnet cut off it's fins. Or the video of a fox with a jar on it's head coming up to a person to get it removed.

 

[MongGrel]

Yeah they know. At first they will freak out as you get close, but when it's obvious you are helping them they usually calm down. And may even linger some or sit in your hand when freed (like a bird), then move on at a normal pace. Their whole life is about survival, enemies and friends, they know when they are in a perilous situation. They know who is helping them and who wants to harm them. That's how they get through daily life day in and day out. (I've helped many random animals in my life)

I think some do. Hence the popular video of a dolphin coming up to a diver to get fishnet cut off it's fins. Or the video of a fox with a jar on it's head coming up to a person to get it removed.

+1

 

[Northern Lawn]

Here's a good one from Canada. Baby Moose.

http://youtu.be/G_DQyOCtIZw

 

[Rakehellion]

Case in point:

Yes, they do.

 

[Noo]

Yeah they know. At first they will freak out as you get close, but when it's obvious you are helping them they usually calm down. And may even linger some or sit in your hand when freed (like a bird), then move on at a normal pace. Their whole life is about survival, enemies and friends, they know when they are in a perilous situation. They know who is helping them and who wants to harm them. That's how they get through daily life day in and day out. (I've helped many random animals in my life)

That's awesome to hear. I've always wondered whether if they know or at least thankful when you just saved their life. I'm talking completely wild animals, not domesticated ones. Got any good story?

 

[Noo]

Here's a good one from Canada. Baby Moose.

http://youtu.be/G_DQyOCtIZw

Aww, that moose is like...thanks! what do you want me to do now? ^_^

 

[Mixolydian]

Absolutely.

 

[Noo]

Here's the video i'm talking about

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSywiwgC4Dk

 

[lxskllr]

Got any good story?

I was taking my daughter to school once, and there was an enormous snapping turtle in the road. He was so big, the top of his shell was bloody from cars driving over him, and hitting the undercarriage. I pulled over, got a stake from the back of the truck, and tried to move him off the road. The enormous turtle had enormous legs, and he fought me the whole way, all the while snapping at the stake I was pushing him with. I finally got him off the road, and wandered off. Ungrateful fucker wanted to kill me. Dunno if he survived. His shell was messed up, but his odds were better than they were in the middle of the road.

 

[BladeVenom]

Reptiles aren't as smart as mammals, and very few are social.

 

[Udgnim]

whales / dolphins

 

[Northern Lawn]

whales / dolphins

Yeah I just saw a video..I just googled it.

This orca is has fish net on it's fins and allows a boat full of people to cut it off. It's so happy that it jumps out of the water making those huge splashes, it does it over and over.

http://youtu.be/tcXU7G6zhjU

 

[edro]

Here's the video i'm talking about

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSywiwgC4Dk

Ha! Awesome!

 

[Northern Lawn]

Here's the video i'm talking about

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bSywiwgC4Dk

Hey that reminds me of something that happened to me when I was a teenager. My drug dealers pit bull had jumped over the fence and was hanging by his chain. He was literally on his tip toes of his back legs, hanging from his collar. I loosened the chain and basically saved him since no one was home and that pit bull, weeks later, bit my knee.

 

[El Guaraguao]

Hey that reminds me of something that happened to me when I was a teenager. My drug dealers pit bull had jumped over the fence and was hanging by his chain. He was literally on his tip toes of his back legs, hanging from his collar. I loosened the chain and basically saved him since no one was home and that pit bull, weeks later, bit my knee.

Did you bite back?

 

[disappoint]

They will know until they forget. How long it takes for them to forget varies greatly. Hell even some humans have shit memory let alone wildlife like the famous (perhaps myth) goldfish for example.

There are many examples of wildlife showing gratitude to humans and some of them are on youtube. I don't have any links but I saw one about a dolphin that was tangled in some fishing line and was freed by a diver.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wL9I4BxuryY

Humpback Whale Shows AMAZING Appreciation After Being Freed From Nets:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcXU7G6zhjU

 

[John Connor]

I have read that anything with a spine has memory. That means fish.

 

[akahoovy]

I think it depends on the sense of fear a wild animal has. Some go apeshit whenever something they don't recognize comes near them and never change throughout their entire lives. Others learn certain situations are ok, but outside of that very narrow set of conditions, it's back to being apeshit. That's like the pelicans I feed. Those guys will come right up to me and almost eat out of my hand (I wouldn't let them though, they have sharp beaks). When I'm not feeding them, they will run like I'm a coyote or something.

Some animals realize it though. I wouldn't expect any recognition right after your actions because they're probably going to flee as the survival instinct kicks in.

 

[feralkid]

I think some do. Hence the popular video of a dolphin coming up to a diver to get fishnet cut off its fins. Or the video of a fox with a jar on its head coming up to a person to get it removed.

Allow me to help you remove those offending apostrophes.

You're welcome.