Gut Feeling

For a species wired for survival, it should learn to make use of instinct to quickly identify the feeding source and spot out the hostile enemy. And no wonder: a recent study from Paris has provided the first experimental evidence in urban pigeons for their ability to distinguish between friendly feeders and hostile foes.

The research team carried out the test with two feeders - one neutral and one hostile. To put it simply, the hostile feeder would chase the birds away. And what was so special about the urban pigeons? The birds learned quickly to discriminate between the feeders. Is this happenstance, do you think? Of course not, the pigeons avoided the hostile feeder even after the two feeders exchanged their coats.

While I subscribe to the theory that most animals are brilliant in terms of their gut feeling, I have trouble with telling this story. Before I heard the pigeon experiment, my wife and I had just found out that our used car was stolen by our auto mechanic - a guy we had counted on for over ten years. It isn't easy or even possible to rely on our gut feeling. But it is something we want. And need.