Reply #98: Now, why would I do such a thing. It always seems to me that

[MineralMan]

animals have a sense about which other animals mean them harm. I hand tamed a California Blue Jay in half an hour. It learned to fly to my hand and perch there to get a peanut in that amount of time. It would not do the same thing for my idiot brother-in-law. However, when my wife held her hand out with a peanut in it, it flew right down to her.

Animals are very clever in their pragmatism. They weigh the benefits and risks of actions, based on their instincts and other factors, I guess. I've always learned a lot from befriending critters. I learned from reading a biography of St. Francis when I was about 10. He also had a way with beasties. I've been doing it ever since. Sometimes the beasts are smarter than the humans, it seems.