The Most Dangerous Game

Animal Intelligence In the beginning of “The Most Dangerous Game” Rainsford stated “Who cares how a jaguar feels?....They’ve no understanding.” “The Most Dangerous Game” is a short story about how a character believes that animals do not have feelings, just when he, ironically, gets hunted himself, but by a human. The author, Richard Connell, has written various American short stories for all ages. Contrary to Rainsford’s statement, I believe that all animals can reason. If humans cannot understand the language of a bird or a gorilla, it does not mean that they are different from humans and cannot reason or think. Animals can learn languages native to themselves, display deep and meaningful feelings, and most important of all, understand their surroundings and reason, which are all displayed in the articles “Can Animals Think?,” “Are Dolphins Also Persons?,” and the video “A Conversation with Koko”. First of all, The Time Magazine article, “Can Animals Think?” by Eugene Lindon relates several accounts of remarkable animal intelligence. In one example, an orangutan named Fu Manchu escaped from his cage at the Omaha Zoo by picking the cage’s lock with a metal wire. By using his intelligence and observation skills, Fu Manchu was able to extricate himself and his family from their cage so they could enjoy an afternoon of freedom. He also saved the wire for future use, further revealing the ability to plan ahead, an unmistakable, higher order thinking skill. Another example of animal intelligence is shown by the story of Orky, a killer whale who helped save his baby by positioning his body as a platform for workers trying to reach, to assist the struggling baby. Orky assessed the problem and devised a solution for getting help to his offspring. He also exhibited the same concern and emotion towards his baby as a human parent would to a child. When confronted with a problem, these animals demonstrated high level cognitive skills. In addition, the popular video “A