The first response of any adult animal to any other species is fear. Is this creature dangerous? Will it attack me? Until the contact proves to be harmless, the natural response is avoidance. This is the situation for wildlife as well as for untrained domestic animals. The fear can be overcome by familiarity and by careful training and this takes place more easily in early life. The foal gets use to a bridle, the calf or the puppy to being gently caught and handled. A delightful recent film on Netflix documented the developing friendship of a human diver with an octopus. The natural response of the octopus was to hide or jet away fast when an intruder came close. This natural reaction evolved to protect this soft vulnerable animal from attack by sharks and other predators. But slowly the diver gained the animal’s confidence so that at first they held arms, and later he was able to carry the octopus to the surface.

We are basically animals and no different in our responses. A stranger has to be viewed first as a threat, and only with familiarity does this basic response subside. Children develop this avoidance reaction as they age. At first all adults are trusted, later only those who are familiar. It is natural for children to be ‘shy’. The critical word here is ‘trust’. As in all animals, this takes time to develop and replace the initial basic fear. Trust can only be developed slowly, with gentle words and actions, and total avoidance of anger or pain. Animals and humans become mentally disturbed when they are subjected to adult behaviour that is a mixture of care and brutality. There is plenty of evidence of this unnecessary outcome from the inadequate training of dogs and horses, and from the incarceration of small children in institutions. The developing brain is easily and often permanently damaged by a betrayal of trust.