The danger of assuming moral behaviour

We love to claim that animals have a higher moral standard than most humans. We say things like ape shall not kill ape  (Bad news, murder is not exactly a man-made activity). 

But what made the lesson starker was that once I knew more about the animal kingdom, looking for the kind non-violent animal was tougher than it appears. I was recently viewing a pond full of pelicans recently. 

Then I noticed that the pelicans had several gate crashers that they ignored. 

There was a night heron. Actually several but they did were rather territorial and were not keen on a group shot.  

A grey heron hoping not to be noticed.

A Milky Stork.  

See animals living together. Except that this is quite misleading.

In another pond a stone throw away, there was a flock of flamingoes 

They were lesser flamingoes but the argument still stands. 

And I noticed that the gate crashers were smaller birds. Like the White-breasted Waterhen. Chick

Or the lesser Whistling Duck.

What do the 2 birds have in common? They can be swallowed whole by the Pelican. Hence their choice of neighbours. 

When we talk about animals, we do not like to use pictures of the runner ups. Or their target for violence. 

To understand how goodnatured the flamingoes are, just take a look at this green iguana (Mostly herbivore). The truth is that flamingoes eat smaller critters. If that was an ostrich enclosure, there is a good chance the iguana might be more forcefully ejected. 

It is in the food of these birds and they are not even raising a fuss.