One of Zehra Nigah’s most quoted poems begins with: “Suna hai jungalon ka bhi koi dastoor hota hai [I have heard that jungles also have established customs]” and ends with a plea to God: “Mere is shehr mein ab jungalon hi ka koi qanoon nafiz kar [Impose some law of the jungle in my city]!”

Today, humanity reels from the lawles­sness and callousness of humans turning upon each other, as we face endless wars and genocides, rising crime and economic exploitation.

The jungle is often used as a metaphor for unruly lawless behaviour, and even the term ‘urban jungle’ is used to reflect the chaos of city life. Animals are said to have been created for the use of humans, which is often misinterpreted as an assumption that they are of less importance.

Humans have a very ambivalent attitude towards animals. Animals are hunted, tamed for humans, their habitats destroyed, and many are bred for food or entertainment. Yet, our children are taught moral lessons through children’s stories, nursery rhymes, folklore and fables depicting the wisdom and skills of animals, perhaps because, while human and societal values change, animal behaviour remains consistent.

Mankind’s relationship with the animal kingdom is a complicated one, with the latter proving to be a source of fascination, inspiration and ambivalence

The internet is flooded with videos of charming, cute animals that get millions of hits. Pets are loved and seen as family members. Animal qualities are adopted by many societies — the soaring eagle, the strength and menace of a panther, the longevity of the crane, the majesty of the lion. The American boxer Muhammad Ali moved “like a butterfly” and stung “like a bee.” A powerful man may be described as a cheetah, a foolish one as an ullu ka patha [a baby owl].

Over the years, scientists have revealed the complexity and sophistication of non-human life. We share our planet with 2.16 million species that have been identified thus far. At present, there is only one human species, Homo sapiens, with eight earlier versions that are now extinct. We share 90 percent of our DNA with many animals, yet we feel far removed from them and infinitely superior.

The difference in DNA between one human being and another is only 0.01 percent. Yet, that 0.01 percent is enough to divide people, create wars of unspeakable cruelty, make one race or religion feel superior to the other, or make someone feel ostracised by a family or social group.

Generations that have grown up with National Geographic and David Attenborough know how ordered nature and the animal world is. The animal kingdom is not a kind place, but it’s an ordered space, a predictable space, where animals behave as they are expected to.

Animals learn to coexist despite the danger of predators, many even associating for mutual benefit, such as the egret that picks troublesome insects off the backs of buffaloes. The most important lesson the animal kingdom provides is the presence of the many invisible lines that maintain the order of nature and that are never crossed.

The interaction between animals and humans has been a source of fascination. Rudyard Kipling’s The Jungle Book and Edgar Rice Burroughs’ Tarzan speculate on the nature of humans brought up by animals in the wild. The fictional character Dr Dolittle can talk to animals. Cartoons frequently anthropomorphise animals, giving them human expressions and emotions, from Mickey Mouse to Nemo. The 19th century Bengali Kalighat paintings depicted babus, British Rulers and the middle classes satirically as animals.

Apart from the more obvious inventions, such as the aeroplane inspired by birds, observing mosquitoes helped develop painless needles, the mollusk inspired the making of strong adhesives, the woodpecker made aeroplane black boxes more shock resistant, humming birds inspired the design of helicopters, observing whales improved turbine design, the iridescence in butterfly wings helped develop the anti-counterfeiting stamps on banknotes.

Religions ask their followers to observe animals to better understand God’s gifts to humans. The Case of the Animals versus Man, written in 9th century Iraq by the mysterious Brethren of Purity (Ikhwan al-Safa), is a debate by a group of talking animals who testify against humans, challenging their claim to superiority in a session chaired by the ruler of the jinn.

Aristotle notes that “brutishness is a lesser thing than vice, even though it is more frightening.” He says, “At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice, he is the worst.”

Durriya Kazi is a Karachi-based artist. She may be reached at durriyakazi1918@gmail.om

Published in Dawn, EOS, April 14th, 2024