Our Everlasting Affair with the "Wild Things"
For decades now, children have been captivated by Where the Wild Things Are. In this remarkable story Maurice Sendak relates a small boy’s dreams of conquering the “wild things†and becoming their king.
As is often the case, the fantasy conveys a major truth. In this case, it captures the extent to which cultures across the ages have had the same goal—with the exception that in the world of reality, the monsters in our minds have been replaced by the animals in our midst. Indeed, much of human civilization can be told in terms of the efforts to bring the powers of animals under our control.
Animals--large and small--have known what it is to be the "objects of our desires."
Among the endless examples are the following:
The Chinese, during the reign of Kublai Khan in the 13th century, used lions on hunting expeditions. They trained the big cats to pursue and drag down massive animals--from wild bulls to bears--and to stay with the kill until the hunter arrived.
Honey played a huge role in ancient Egypt and if you were among the rich and powerful, honey--in all sorts of forms--would be placed in your tomb so that you wouldn't be deprived in the afterlife. But this amazing substance was also used to help people stay alive. Bacteria happen not to survive well in honey, leading the doctors of ancient Egypt to use it on open wounds to prevent infection. This was no small matter for workers at the pyramids who regularly suffered gashes and cuts.
When the Black Death swept across England in the 14th century, one theory was that cats caused the plague. Thousands were slaughtered. Ironically, those that kept their cats were less affected, because they kept their houses clear of the real culprits, rats.
The expression "three dog night" originated with the Eskimos and means a very cold night - so cold that you have to bed down with three dogs to keep warm.
In the 18th century, France was infatuated with exotic animals and in the streets of Paris, the citizenry could watch performing elephants and fighting polar bears. As a sign of his power, King Louis XVI maintained a very expensive royal menagerie at Versailles.
In the First World War, pictures taken from pigeons fitted with cameras helped generals decide the course of a battle, while in the Second World War, pigeons were still used as messengers during missions that demanded radio silence.
The U.S. Navy planned to use dolphins to protect Trident submarines from sabotage in their home ports. But the dolphins got a reprieve when animal activists scuppered the program by filing a lawsuit against the navy.
But the story is not just about control-- as any of the more than 100 million pet owners in our nation can tell you. It’s also about love. As proof of their devotion, you need look no further than their pocketbooks. Americans spend more than 5.4 billion dollars on their pets each year—with $1.5 billion going towards pet food. This is four times the amount spent on baby food.
