Animal Instincts

At times we adore an animal so much that we keep it with us, depriving it of its rightful freedom [Lion in the Living Room; When Animals Act Like Humans, July]. No matter how much we pamper it, nothing can beat the joy of freedom. As the young men in the story did, we must take care of an animal if it needs our help and then let it go into its natural habitat, where it belongs.

Nupur Mishra, via e-mail

Animals also often behave as badly as humans. They kill each other, fight over territory, and treat their elderly in a callous fashion. The one bad habit they have not yet picked up is to bore one another with mindless talk.

Rajeshwari Singh, New Delhi

I recently saw an adorable puppy follow a little girl in our park. She was slightly scared, but had started laughing at the puppy’s antics when her father arrived. One look and he grabbed a sharp stone and hurt the hapless pup—which, mind you, was metres away from his daughter— while muttering obscenities. Badly wounded and traumatized, that pup may grow up with the seeds of fear and violence and might even attack humans. Who can blame it? The little girl too may fear and see them as filthy creatures. Don’t we reap what we sow?

Meghna Bist, Noida, UP

Ms Meghna Bist gets this month’s Best Letter Prize. —Eds