Feral Dog Encounters a Pack of Crocodiles and the Unthinkable Happens
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A feral dog was being chased by a pack of other feral dogs when he fell into a river in India and encountered three marsh crocodiles, or muggers.
Instead of devouring this poor pup, which you would expect crocodiles to do, they gently used their snouts to guide the dog to safety on the other side of the riverbank.
A recent report published by the Journal of Threatened Taxa looked at the behavior of marsh crocodiles (also known as muggers) in Maharashtra, India, and this case in particular. "At this time three adult Muggers were clearly seen floating close by in the water and their attention was drawn to this dog and they moved closer towards the dog," the scientists explain. Instead of attacking the animal, the crocodiles are said to have "guided" the dog to safety. Scientists have no idea why these crocodiles chose to help the dog instead of making him their lunch, but they think it has to do with crocodiles experiencing emotional empathy.
Crocodiles do exhibit emotional empathy, but it's usually in circumstances involving protecting their young from other predators. Their reactions to other crocodiles usually have to do with protecting their own territory or when crocodiles are mating. Maybe these crocs weren't hungry when the dog fell into the river, or maybe they were trying to help him. The National Post reports the researchers say "future studies should explore the possibility of the emotional awareness of animals that could go beyond our current understanding."
More studies need to be conducted to explore this behavior further, but it just proves that these animals are far more complex then they've been given credit for.
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