'A sentient animal is one considered to feel pain, suffering, hunger and pleasure and to have a relationship with the environment that is determined by what it enjoys doing and to avoid things that are unpleasant.'
Nick Branson,
Animal Welfare and Services Manager, Deakin University
Instances where animals were more human than human:
Dog raising a baby kangaroo
Hearts melted when pictures emerged of Rex, a 10-year-old German pointer, rescuing a four-month old joey after a car hit its mother near Bells Beach in Victoria.
Cat raising duckling
When cat Hiroko lost her three kittens, she became a surrogate mother for two ducklings, in what is likely a case of the birds ‘imprinting’ on the cat. ‘There is a window of opportunity after a bird hatches where it will tend to imprint onto an animal, which doesn’t have to be their mother or father, that it’s been exposed to in that sensitive period,’ Branson says.
Dolphins saving humans from shark attacks
If a great white is lurking, you want a pod of dolphins around. ‘Dolphins make conscious decisions about when they intervene – they weigh up the situation and are selective about who and in which circumstances they help,’ Dr Diana Reiss, one of the world’s foremost dolphin experts, told Australia For Dolphins.
Chimpanzees reconciling after a fight
Our primate friends might be known to fight but according to primatologist Frans de Waal, they’ll always kiss and make up. ‘The principle is that you have a valuable relationship that is damaged by conflict so you need to do something about it,’ he says in his TEDX talk.
Alpacas guard sheep from attack
Many sheep farmers are buying alpacas to guard their sheep and lambs from fox attacks, with reportedly great success.
