OUTSIDER ANIMALS

Learning from “unpopular creatures.”

Neither domesticated nor completely feral, “outsider animals,” as biologist Zuk calls them, are feared or loathed by many—but they have a lot to teach us about adaptation and interspecies relationships. Zuk has studied many of the creatures that can intrude on our lives and are viewed as either a nuisance or a threat. They live in close proximity to people, invading our garbage and, in some cases, living in our attics or walls without our permission. We need to rethink our attitudes toward those animals, Zuk says, and has some evidence to back that up. Examples of these outsider animals include the clever opportunists, such as raccoons and gulls, which are curious, willing to try new things, and are relatively fearless. Raccoons are “lovely little critters trying to make a living.” They are excellent problem-solvers, using their nimble paws smartly. Gulls are perceived as selfish, “their eagerness and enthusiasm sometimes making them exceed the boundaries of politeness.” This tendency to anthropomorphize animal behavior—to attribute human characteristics and motives to creatures inappropriately—is behind much of our contempt for these outsider animals, the author says. Despite those cartoon gulls chanting “mine, mine, mine” in Finding Nemo, there’s no evidence to suggest that gulls are greedy; they’re just gathering food to feed their families. Cowbirds and cuckoos, which invade nests of other birds to lay their eggs—then leave the chicks to be fed and raised by others—are not bad parents; they’re just finding ways to propagate the species. And rats live and thrive near humans primarily because we’re pretty sloppy with our garbage. Snakes are perhaps the most beautiful of the outsiders, but humans shun them because of an irrational fear. Zuk notes that snakes are rarely poisonous, don’t go out of their way to attack, and eat rats and mice, so what’s not to appreciate about them? There’s a symbiosis between the human animal and the outsider animal, Zuk says, and we need a better understanding of and appreciation for that relationship. This book is a good start.

Written with wit and charm, this book might change minds about unpopular creatures.