THAT EMPATHY FEELING

May 2023

As we gaze at each other, part curiosity part caution, for a full hour and a half, several similarities begin to emerge.

One, the beard and the hairdo.

Two, all the furriness all over.

Three, a permanent state of being hungry.

Four, a complete lack of table manners.

I do not quite understand empathy but I think I can feel it in the company of these Grey langurs, also called Hanuman langurs.

The only remarkable item I am missing is a non-prehensile tail (one which cannot hold objects, but is used mainly for balance). Aside from that, I might qualify as an Old World Monkey.

The feeding procession is impressively orderly, more than what most humans in these parts of the planet exhibit. If one langur sees another waiting nearby, it finishes up and leaves. Thus the entire troupe, including a mother with a suckling, feast on that one ripe jackfruit.

The only time there is a brief rumpus is when a large and aggressive male decides to jump the queue, baring its large canines. In some ways, langurs can be quite like our fellow mammals.

There are occasions when it is glaringly evident that we share 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees. My percentage might be higher.

~*~