Beaks, Peas, and EQ

A read for the times you feel like a superior being

Dear friend,

Are you an animal person? Don’t worry, this is not me asking you to adopt a pet.

I am asking because even people who say they don’t like pets tend to melt at the sight of a kitten or puppy.

The helplessness, innocence, and sweetness of a baby animal is hard to resist for most of us. Add fuzz and baby feathers to that and one is instantly sold!

Research has shown that videos/reels about animals get high views and engagement because they trigger the release of dopamine and oxytocin. (A good way to unwind, in other words). I also believe they remind us of the positive aspects of the world amidst all the pain and distress we are exposed to.

And while domesticated animals were our preference in the past, I’ve noticed an increase in people taking care of/rehoming/rescuing wild animals, or those we wouldn’t normally consider ‘pets’.

I’ve watched people adopt/rescue goats, sheep, chickens, pigs, emus, rabbits, ostriches, and ducks.

One of my favourite Turkish authors eg, has a writing shed in her backyard, with ducks and chickens walking around and swimming in their little, round plastic pool.

She often shares posts about how watching them, with a cup of tea in her hands, is the highlight of her day; the calm to her storm. Especially on days she is struggling to write or edit.

I hadn’t ever imagined a chicken or duck as a pet. I was amazed at how cute and loving they can be. Watching those beaks eat peas cracks me up.

Wild or not, there is something magical about watching animals going about life. They don’t have all the cortices we do, so overthinking, worrying, and planning for the future aren’t a part of their life.

For them, the present moment is all there is. Animals rely on their senses and intuition. These are some of the reasons we humans have considered ourselves smarter and more capable than animals.

That said, I believe animals score particularly high on EQ, along with countless capabilities we are not aware of. Here are some examples I have seen/heard of:

• Fellow pet owners have told me how their dog or cat has sensed when they’ve been unwell, and provided them with comfort through quiet presence or extra licks and cuddles.

• On Instagram, there’s a cat named Momo who helps his owner make pottery, which sell at a premium price for their novelty.

• There are dogs who sound like they’re saying ‘I Love You’ to their owner; emus and swans who get jealous and chase anyone who approaches their ‘person’.

• Certain parrots know how to turn their owners’ cameras on and pose for pictures. Some even call Siri to order their own snacks, lol.

When I was a teen facing bullies and racism at school eg, my biggest emotional support was my pet macaw. I raised her from a fuzzy little chick with a gawky, big head to a 1.7 kilo bird who can speak three languages and soar in the skies. It was surreal to watch her grow and learn our human ways of being.

Me with my pet macaw, in my teens.

I will never forget how I was loved and given kisses by a beak considered intimidating by everyone around me. That beak held my entire wrist so gently even though it could crush walnuts and bamboo within seconds.

It was my habit to sit with her in the balcony every evening, watch her relish passion fruit, and listen to her chatter. Whenever I doubt love, I think of her. Whenever I think only humans are capable of love, I think of her. Whenever I think humans know better, I think of her. Side note: I don’t know who came up with the term ‘birdbrain’ but they obviously had no clue about avian intelligence.

From all of my experiences and observations, I’ve deduced that animals, both wild and domesticated, are evolving at a high speed. Their emotional intelligence is becoming more noticeable, more profound. I’m not surprised the number of emotional support animals (ESA) has increased drastically after the pandemic.

Their EQ is a true gift for humanity; animals are doing what we cannot do for another. They are seeing, feeling, understanding, and, in their own way, validating our mental and emotional state.

And imagine doing all of this without the gift of speech, language, or the advanced processing power we have. Tell me, are we really superior beings? Or are we so lost in our superiority that we have forgotten what EQ truly is?

With gratitude,

Raksha