Mind-blowing, heart warming

[cheya]

Can't seem to get the youtube URL to copy and paste over here, but go see James French's  "Animal Communication with Lions in South Africa" on you tube, and then watch  some of his vids on working  with horses and dogs.  Fascinating and totally inspiring!

[SonOfTheGods]

 

Can't seem to get the youtube URL to copy and paste over here, but go see James French's  "Animal Communication with Lions in South Africa" on you tube, and then watch  some of his vids on working  with horses and dogs.  Fascinating and totally inspiring!

 

 

[Geof Nanto]

Ahhhh! That video makes me feel like screaming. That's a terrible thing to do to wild animals. First we imprison them and take away their physical freedom. Next we mess with their minds so that they are 'nice'. This is humanism out of control.

 

The ancient Daoists entered wilderness to learn from it, not teach it. They revered wilderness in its ineffable totality as an expression of the Dao. It's us modern humans who have reversed the formula and want to teach the wilderness to be 'civilized'. 

Edited October 10, 2015 by Yueya

[Aetherous]

Yueya, that reminds me of this song...

Although I didn't personally think it was so bad to do a trust exercise with wild animals. Taking away their freedom is the worst aspect of it all in my mind, and even that isn't so horrendous...there are much worse things.

[SonOfTheGods]

With all the poachers, wildlife preserves might be the final bastion for their safety

[Geof Nanto]

Although I didn't personally think it was so bad to do a trust exercise with wild animals. Taking away their freedom is the worst aspect of it all in my mind, and even that isn't so horrendous...there are much worse things.

 

Yeah, I live in a wilderness environment and use trust techniques at times, but for different reasons. It allows me to cause less disturbance as I wander about, especially when I startle an animal at rest. But I'd never want to tame the animals around here. I like the harmonious chaos of nature in its totally. Wilderness has a consciousness beyond words. 

 

(Of course, I also appreciate Cheya's reasons for posting the video.)  

[Geof Nanto]

With all the poachers, wildlife preserves might be the final bastion for their safety

 

Unfortunately that is true. But then the animals are no longer themselves. They lose their wild vitality. There's no comparison between witnessing an animal in its natural environment compared with ones in even the best wildlife reserves. 

[cheya]

The animals James works with have been terribly abused. They are not just any wild animals that he chooses to pacify. Maybe watching him work with the abused horses would give you a better idea of what he is doing. He sits with the animals in what he calls "mindful regard," joining them, drawing them into a trusting space, totally beautiful, from my perspective. They become totally relaxed,  both funny and awesome to watch. To me this is amazing respect for the animals and a beginning to heal the trials they have been through. Their responses to the work are beyond amazing.

 

If you want to understand more what he is doing, look for "I Have a Dream-  -- the interview" on youtube.

[soaring crane]

The ancient Daoists entered wilderness to learn from it, not teach it. They revered wilderness in its ineffable totality as an expression of the Dao. It's us modern humans who have reversed the formula and want to teach the wilderness to be 'civilized'. 

 

I think you'd probably go into shock if you were to see how the ancient Daoists/Chinese treated animals ... 

[Geof Nanto]

I think you'd probably go into shock if you were to see how the ancient Daoists/Chinese treated animals ... 

 

According to all the writings I've read the Daoists that entered wilderness did not abuse animals.What evidence do you have for that assertion?  However people in the wider community certainly did and still do in most if not all countries. But no, I definitely don't go into shock on seeing such treatment. I've seen plenty; nature itself may seem cruel to city people in the way old and sick animals meet their end. 

[soaring crane]

According to all the writings I've read the Daoists that entered wilderness did not abuse animals.What evidence do you have for that assertion?  However people in the wider community certainly did and still do in most if not all countries. But no, I definitely don't go into shock on seeing such treatment. I've seen plenty; nature itself may seem cruel to city people in the way old and sick animals meet their end. 

 

well, I was thinking about food preparation when I wrote my previous comment. 

[Geof Nanto]

The animals James works with have been terribly abused. They are not just any wild animals that he chooses to pacify. Maybe watching him work with the abused horses would give you a better idea of what he is doing. He sits with the animals in what he calls "mindful regard," joining them, drawing them into a trusting space, totally beautiful, from my perspective. They become totally relaxed,  both funny and awesome to watch. To me this is amazing respect for the animals and a beginning to heal the trials they have been through. Their responses to the work are beyond amazing.

 

If you want to understand more what he is doing, look for "I Have a Dream-  -- the interview" on youtube.

 

OK. I don't know anything about James French's work but of course I'm appreciative of anyone who cares for abused animals. However, when I see people working to heal domesticated animals that have been abused such as horses and dogs, my overriding feeling is of sadness for the cruelty they've suffered. I think it's only natural that any well adjusted human would want to help if they could. I'm not sure what you mean by abused wild animals though. Do you mean non-domesticated animals that have been abused by humans whilst held captive? Is that the case with the lions in the video?

 

What truly lifts my spirits is observing animals thriving in their natural habitat. And when I see them at play in the wild it makes me smile. Even a predator hunting and consuming its prey is part of this natural story that I find so awesome; the continual unfolding of the Dao.

 

I know many people like domesticated animals - including some of my closest friends - but that scenario brings me no joy. I like animals in the wild, looking after themselves, living by their own skills; it's the life they were born for.  Such animals have a special something; an edge of vitality that even the healthiest of captive animals lack. 

 

However, I do find stories of 'wild' animals living independently within urban environments heart-warming. Here's one I read of just now....

 

 

  

 

It's a photo of a New Zealand fur seal that's been living on the Sydney Opera House stairs for one year. That's right on the foreshore of busy Sydney harbour.  

 

NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service senior wildlife officer Geoff Ross said the seal's behaviour was an example of the health of the colony. "What we are seeing with all the seals these days is a resumption of their traditional haul-out sites," Mr Ross said. "The Opera House may not have been a traditional haunt for seals but certainly the rocks on the point there before the Opera House was built probably would have been in the 1800s."

 

Fur seals making a recovery after near-extinction

 

Hunting in the 1800s took both New Zealand and Australian fur seals to the brink of extinction, but there has been an encouraging rise in numbers over the past decade.

 

"New Zealand fur seals are recovering more rapidly than their Australian cousins," Mr Ross said.

 

"Before sealing in Australia, fur seals were very, very common in and around the harbour.

 

"With the advent of sealing we stopped seeing them come into their usual haunts, and for me it is exciting to see animals returning to their natural haunts."

 

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-10-13/seal-loves-harbourside-home-one-year-on/6849604

 

Edited October 13, 2015 by Yueya