Jealousy

(Pranab:) “Mother studied the movements of animals, birds and insects very keenly. She was able to exchange her feelings with them. She said: Even among animals the tendencies of envy, hate, of dominating others are visible.”
         Mother recounted an amusing story about this. Once she went to a zoological garden somewhere in France. She saw there a pair of black panthers in a cage; a cave-like place had been got ready in which the two panthers were sitting with their tails curled in.
         Mother felt the male to be more open and as she approached the cage she gazed at him and called him with great affection: “You're so beautiful and so good!”
         While Mother was speaking so affectionately to the panther he got up stretching his limbs with a big yawn and looking at Mother rather docilely began wagging his tail. Then with a strange rattling noise in his throat he came toward Mother near the railing.
         Mother said: “How gentle you are. How beautiful and how good.”
         The panther, feeling flattered, began to wag his tail.
         On the other hand the female panther who was observing all this began to growl in anger. After some time she could not stand it any more. She shook herself and growling angrily came to the male panther and whipped him hard with her tail. It was amply clear that she had had enough of this and she sat down at a distance and continued to growl.
         A little confused the male kept glancing once at her and then at Mother. A little later he too removed himself from the proximity of the railing and quietly went and sat down beside his partner.”

See also

• Possessiveness

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