Anthropomorphism

by Trish Swain | Jun 21, 2021 | Blog

Anthropomorphism is the attribution of human traits, emotions, or intentions to non-human entities. It is considered to be an innate tendency of human psychology. – Wikipedia

Each side in the eternal debate between non-consumptive wildlife watchers on one side and consumptive, exploitive hunters and trappers on the other, accuses the other of being emotional and unscientific and also guilty of anthropomorphising as well. It is no wonder we all attribute human qualities to animals. We’ve been seeing them that way since earliest childhood.

Animals not only talk, but they are full-fledged people in these and so many other classic children’s books. These are a few that shaped my consciousness. These instill a love of nature, empathy for animals, and pure delight. The deer picture is a real, not a Disney, Bambi. (Reminder for the many of us who are so inundated with Disney toon animals that we forget they are based on what we call reality.)

Children’s Books:

Tribal Lore:

Here we have attribution of human qualities to supernatural entities.

And here human qualities are attributed to actual, existing animals.

Classification of wildlife – Most US Wildlife Agencies

How valuable is this animal to the sportsman? Here is the ultimate in anthropomorphism: assuming Nature’s creation falls into your pre-ordained categories. The animal in and of itself does not exist in this scheme; man only exists, and the assumption is that only one segment of humanity exists: hunters and trappers.

Nevada Administrative Code Chapter 503: CLASSIFICATION AND TAKING OF WILDLIFE

The following wild mammals are further classified as game mammals:

 Fur-bearing mammals include:

Protected, threatened and sensitive mammals

Threatened:

Sensitive:

 (a) Bat
California Leaf-nosed……………..Macrotus californicus

Western Red…………………………Lasiurus blossevillii

Townsend’s Big-eared…………….Corynorhinus townsendii

Western Mastiff……………………..Eumops perotis

(b) Beaver
Sierra Mountain……………………..Aplodontia rufa californica

(c) Chipmunk
 Hidden Forest Uinta……………….Tamias umbrinus nevadensis 

Palmer’s……………………………….Tamias palmeri

(d) Vole
 Ash Meadows Montane………….Microtus montanus nevadensis

Pahranagat Valley Montane……..Microtus montanus fucosus

Unprotected mammals:

Unprotected mammals:

     1.  Are all species of mammals which are not classified as game, fur-bearing, protected, sensitive, threatened or endangered animals.

Men in meetings – yes, some women – have determined which animals can be hunted and how. Leaving aside the birds and the fish, which, believe me, they have taken a good hard look at, these categories are inescapable for anything that moves upon the ground.

Animal Law: Inconsistent

What is an animal? According to Nevada Revised Statutes: (NRS): As used in NRS 574.050 to 574.200, inclusive:   1.  “Animal” does not include the human race, but includes every other living creature. This sounds like the universe of animals is being addressed by the law, but that is not the case. In fact, only two species out of the thousands upon this planet are deemed “pets” by the State of Nevada: dogs and cats. A pet enjoys statutory protections against cruelty, unlike, say, the coyote, who is “unprotected” and classified as a year-round  target. Meanwhile, NRS Chapter 501 , wildlife law, reads as though NRS 574 does not exist. 501 creates classes such as “Fur-bearing mammal” “Game mammal” “Big game mammal” “protected mammals” or “unprotected mammals.” Why? The tautological explanation in the statute: Because they are “so classified by [Wildlife] Commission regulation.” Whereas 574 recognizes the phenomenon of cruelty to animals and seeks to defend animals – at least animals in certain situations – 501 launches into its mandates with no acknowledgement of intrinsic value of animals as living beings. The classifications reflect the Wildlife Commission’s estimate of the “value” of each species to mankind.

And this arbitrary classification of animals makes no sense in view of NRS 501.100:  Legislative declaration regarding wildlife.  1.  Wildlife in this State not domesticated and in its natural habitat is part of the natural resources belonging to the people of the State of Nevada.  If all these animals belong to me, I want them all protected by law. But they are not.

NRS 574.100  Torturing, overdriving, injuring or abandoning animals; failure to provide proper sustenance; requirements for restraining dogs and using outdoor enclosures; horse tripping; penalties; exceptions. If only this section included wildlife! What can we do, as wildlife watchers, to change these laws so that all animals, not just companions, are protected?
The law reads:

     1.  A person shall not:

      (a) Torture or unjustifiably maim, mutilate or kill:

             (1) An animal kept for companionship or pleasure, whether belonging to the person or to another; or

             (2) Any cat or dog;

      (b) Except as otherwise provided in paragraph (a), overdrive, overload, torture, cruelly beat or unjustifiably injure, maim, mutilate or kill an animal, whether belonging to the person or to another;

      (c) Deprive an animal of necessary sustenance, food or drink, or neglect or refuse to furnish it such sustenance or drink;

      (d) Cause, procure or allow an animal to be overdriven, overloaded, tortured, cruelly beaten, or unjustifiably injured, maimed, mutilated or killed or to be deprived of necessary food or drink;

      (e) Instigate, engage in, or in any way further an act of cruelty to any animal, or any act tending to produce such cruelty; or

      (f) Abandon an animal in circumstances other than those prohibited in NRS 574.110.

All animals are equal but some

are more equal than others. – George Orwell

On Page 2: Quotes from the opposition and irony in advertising