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THE YARD — I truly believe that one of the pleasures of life (and maybe one of the dangers) is anthropomorphizing animals.
Comparing cute and cuddly or strong and clever animals to ourselves as humans is somehow so delightful that we fill up the internet with animal videos and watch and share them infinitely. If I could explain it better, I would, but I know virtually all of you know exactly what I mean.
On the off chance you think I’m nuts, just watch this little elephant panic even though it’s not in serious trouble. You know you’ve laughed at 100 toddlers doing the same thing. Or watch this bear rolling down a grassy hill, and try not to get nostalgic about your childhood.
Now check out this new video of a chipmunk caught red-handed in a bird feeder. Cheeks bulging with seeds, the little dude freezes once he knows he’s busted. What he does next — which truly feels toddler like — is the pièce de résistance. The fuzzy fella completely pushes all the seeds out of his cheeks, making it look like he’s trying to convey, “What? It’s still here, see? No harm no foul.” If you know a toddler, you know this is truly toddler logic.
In reality, it’s way more likely that the chipmunk jettisons the seeds so he can escape some big dude with a weird device as quickly as possible. No guilt, just pure fear. But his fear is our pleasure as we view this video, so thanks for the delightful anthropomorphizing opportunity, chipmunk!
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