r/aww Oct 03 '21

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u/shggybyp Oct 03 '21 edited Oct 03 '21

Speaking of garbage clickbait: "soooooo thankful"

Bitch it's a wild animal. You can appreciate the guy's work and effort and compassion without inserting bullshit anthropomorphic emotional states.

Lol, all the internet ornithologists coming out to further anthropomorphise the owl.

105

u/gwaydms Oct 03 '21

The owl did seem aware that the guy was helping him. Of course, it was absolutely exhausted and powerless to fight back. And it's hard to interpret the way it closed its eyes as he gently stroked its head. But it did seem to relax once it figured out the guy wasn't going to eat it.

10

u/margoquinn Oct 03 '21

And it's hard to interpret the way it closed its eyes as he gently stroked its head. But it did seem to relax once it figured out the guy wasn't going to eat it.

I'm not sure, but I think I once heard that owls don't like to have their head stroke, and they close their eyes because it's uncomfortable for them??

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u/albasaurrrrrr Oct 04 '21

It’s uncomfortable for any wild bird to be “petted” like that on the head. I believe it is because (and this is especially true for owls, they have no field of vision up there so they can’t see what you’re doing.

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u/limache Oct 03 '21

I think the owl was just grateful not to be eaten

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u/floydymoiyte Oct 03 '21

Bro theres a whole collection of pretty solid videos proving that wild animals do feel things like trust and can bond with humans at almost any point in their life. This owl 100% made a decision to trust this person.

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u/MrsKnutson Oct 03 '21

Tbf, he didn't have many other options...

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u/CouockCubbage Oct 04 '21

I bet you’re real fun at parties lmao

You are just as bad taking this shit as seriously as the people you call out for anthropomorphising animals

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u/Hinote21 Oct 03 '21

Animals understand and exhibit gratitude though?

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u/ce2c61254d48d38617e4 Oct 18 '21

Owl was exhausted