"Do animals other than humans make friends in the wild or raise the young of different species? Or is this a quirky trait unique to humanity?"
When sharing stories of prehistoric humans nursing a sick dog and burying it in their own grave, this exact question naturally follows. Moments we have glimpsed in documentaries or news—a cat caring for an orphaned duckling, or a lion cradling a baby antelope—flicker through our minds.
To put it briefly, interacting with different species and even raising their young is a phenomenon occasionally observed in the wild. In other words, it is not completely exclusive to humans. Yet, if we look closely beneath the surface, a distinct and critical line separates human "companionship" from these wild occurrences.
Miracles in the Wild: The Boundary Between Instinct and Business
Even in the wild, heartwarming interspecies interactions occur that shatter our assumptions. However, these are typically driven by a "temporary glitch in maternal instinct" or a "shrewd business strategy for survival."
A female animal that has recently given birth experiences a peak in oxytocin, the maternal hormone. During this window, an instinct triggers to protect any baby animal in front of her, mistaking it for her own offspring. Yet, this tear-jerking co-parenting usually comes to a cold halt once the young animal grows up, the hormone’s magic fades, or friend-versus-foe recognition becomes clear.
There are also strategic alliances aimed at survival. African baboons have been known to kidnap and raise wild dog pups because those dogs grow up to become excellent bodyguards for the baboon troop. Much like the relationship between crocodiles and plover birds, or ants and aphids, wild interactions always operate delicately on the scales of "survival and mutual benefit."
"Hyper-Sociality": Reaching Out When There Is Nothing to Gain
What, then, sets the prehistoric human bond apart? Anthropologists explain this through humanity’s unique "hyper-sociality" and "cognitive flexibility."
Human companionship does not calculate survival efficiency. The prehistoric humans who devotedly nursed a sick dog—which was useless for hunting and merely consumed precious food rations—only to bury it by their side, operated in a realm that the scales of the wild can never weigh. Humans willingly nurture other species with no expectation of reward or benefit, driven purely by emotional connection and psychological fulfillment.
The Ability to Tune Into Another’s Mind
Above all, humans are virtually the only species capable of looking at another animal’s expressions or sounds and empathizing with their perspective, thinking, "That animal is hungry right now," or "It is grieving."
This was possible because humans perceived animals in three dimensions: not just as walking meat or mere livestock, but as "fellow neighbors of the Earth" who possess souls and feel emotions just as we do. Thanks to this gentle ability to read another’s mind and tune into their frequency, humans crossed the species barrier, transforming massive wolves into hunting partners and, eventually, into family members sharing the same blanket.
Wild animals may hold hands with other species due to instinctive pulls or survival needs. However, looking into another animal’s eyes to share sorrow and joy, and embracing them as lifelong "family" since those harsh times devoid of technology or civilization—that is a unique miracle only humans could achieve.
Ultimately, what makes humans human is a gentleness that refuses to tap on a calculator. A mind broad enough to empathize with the pain of an unfamiliar being, share warmth when there is nothing to gain, and ultimately tear down the walls between species. Perhaps that is the real reason humanity survived without loneliness amidst the ruthless laws of nature, growing to inhabit the entire globe.
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