Page 15 - Devotion Among Animals Revealing the Work of God

n Earth, Man is the only being possessing intellect and
reason. Besides his physical characteristics, the most im-
portant features that distinguish him from all other be-
ings are those that derive from his human intellect and powers of
reason—the faculties of comparison, decision, reasoning, predicting,
planning ahead and taking precautions, comprehension, working
toward future goals, and other similar qualities. No other creatures
in nature possess such an intellect or high degree of awareness.
Therefore, we can't expect animals to plan, anticipate future events,
or apply engineering calculations to decide on any issue.
So how can we explain the behaviors, clearly the products of
reason and consciousness, so often observed in nature? Especially
since some of these behaviors are displayed by beings without a
brain! Before moving to answer this question, we can more easily
understand its importance if, first, we provide some obvious exam-
ples of animal behavior that arise from consciousness and reasoning.

Beaver Dams as Engineering Projects
Beavers calculate like real engineers, work like master builders,
and build lodges of extraordinary design. With the same impressive
skill, they build dams to slow the outflow of the water in which they
build their dwellings. To accomplish this, they have to undergo
some highly tedious procedures. First of all, they must obtain a large
quantity of logs and branches, as sources of nourishment as well as
for building material for the dam and nest. To this end, they fell trees
by chewing through the trunks with their teeth. It has been observed
that in this process, they assess the suitability of the environment:
Generally, they prefer to work where the prevailing wind blows to-
wards the water. This way, most of the trees they fell fall in the di-
rection of the water making the logs easier for the beavers to trans-
port.
Beaver nests are of a highly complex design. Each lodge has two
underwater entries, as well as—just above water level—a larder and,

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