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From: DawnWatch - news [at] dawnwatch.com
Date: Nov 2, 2006 3:52 PM
Subject: DawnWatch: NY Times editorial calls for valuing other animals for their differences — 11/2/06

On Thursday, November 2, the New York Times includes an editorial, (the newspaper editorial page’s official opinion) commenting on the recent discovery that elephants understand mirrors. (See Tuesday’s DawnWatch alert at tinyurl.com/ylh2gn if you missed that story.)

The editorial is headed, “Horton Sees an Image.” (p A26)

It describes the elephants’ newly discovered ability, then comments:

“Such tests appear to mark a boundary between animals that display some form of consciousness and those that don’t. But what they really do is raise questions about the value we attribute to consciousness and our inevitably human definition of it. It is always us setting the rules.

How many tests set by elephants could we pass?”

It reminds us, noting the fate of chimpanzees, that “we are no more likely to save species with a proto-human form of consciousness than animals whose mental life bears no resemblance to our own.”

And it ends on this uplifting note:

“There is every reason to value other life-forms as much for their difference from us as for their similarity, and to act accordingly. That may be the only intelligence test worthy of the name.”

You’ll find the whole piece on line here.

Please send appreciative letters to the Times. The piece provides on opportunity for letters that discuss any aspect of our treatment of other species.

The New York Times takes letters at letters [at] nytimes.com.

Always include your full name, address, and daytime phone number when sending a letter to the editor. Shorter letters are more likely to be published.

Yours and the animals’,
Karen Dawn

(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at www.DawnWatch.com. To discontinue, go to
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Tagged: animals animal+rights action+alerts dawnwatch animal+intelligence animal+consciousness animal+emotions ethology