They are thinking and feeling beings, like we are. They have good days and bad days. They have senses. They are sentient. And so we need a new way of thinking about animals.

Halo, gentle viewers and welcome to Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants, where we are exploring the intriguing inner world of animals.

Through further studies and observations, humans are gaining a greater understanding of the sophisticated social systems, depth of cognition and dignified principles of the furry, finned and feathered residents of this planet.

International #1 bestselling author of the books, “The Birds in My Life,” “The Dogs in My Life” and “The Noble Wilds,” Supreme Master Ching Hai has often spoken about the highly sentient and noble beings we call animals.

The animals come to this planet with a special role. Many of them are able to bring down divine power from Heaven, or love, just through their presence because they are very connected with the Divine at all times. Some, like horses and rabbits, can protect their human caregivers from negative influences, or boost them with good health, good luck, even material fortune, joy, or spiritual upliftment. They watch out for us quietly and humbly send blessings our way. Some of them are from higher levels of consciousness; they only came down in animal form to help humankind or other beings on Earth.

Our 3-part series features Dr. Jonathan Balcombe, a leading behavioral research scientist and author of “The Use of Animals in Higher Education: Problems, Alternatives and Recommendations,” “Pleasurable Kingdom: Animals and the Nature of Feeling Good” and “Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals.”

A new book by Dr. Balcombe will be released in May titled, “The Exultant Ark – A Pictorial Tour of Animal Pleasure.” As a respected speaker, Dr. Balcombe has travelled around the globe, giving presentations and raising awareness about the values, psychology, intelligence and emotions of our animal friends.

He has written numerous scientific papers and articles published in prestigious academic journals and magazines such as the “Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science,” “British Medical Journal,” “Journal of Consciousness Studies,” “Animal Behavior,” “Canadian Field-Naturalist” and many others.

Dr. Balcombe has said, “As science continues to make new discoveries about animal minds and feelings, I hope it strikes a chord for more considerate, ethical treatment of animals.” In an article titled, “Jonathan Balcombe: ‘Stop being beastly to hens’” by James Randerson in April 2010 for the United Kingdom’s newspaper, “Guardian,” the question on whether animals have any kind of moral responsibility was posed to Dr. Balcombe.

He answered, “Absolutely. One of the frontiers of science is the study of virtue in animals: increasingly it's coming to light that animals have a moral awareness, or a moral consideration about how they behave. This is particularly the case with social animals, who've evolved to live in groups. Living in groups is full of compromise, you give and take and you want to sustain good relationships with others or you may be an outcast, and that's not in your self-interest – so one can make genetic arguments for the evolution of virtue and moral behavior – certainly we manifest it in many ways.”

New scientific studies show that animals have noble qualities. If you think about the importance of being nice when you live in a group, you will appreciate that other animals need to be nice to each other, because many animals live in groups. They live in populations. They have communities. They have societies. It behooves you to be polite, to be respectful, to be restrained, to be nice, and to be good. And animals show that. Animals show consideration for each other.

Studies show that rats, for instance, will spontaneously, without any reward, without anyone telling them to, if they see another rat in distress, they will act to bring them out of that distress. If they are in a harness, they will help to remove them. If they are locked out of somewhere, they will try to open the door so they can get through.

Chimpanzees and monkeys also, if they work together to get something, they will share food. If you put them in cages, which is very sad, they will pass food through the cage walls to each other, to make sure the other one gets enough food as well. It is virtuous behavior.

Increasingly, research shows that humans are not the only species who are guided by a moral compass. Scientists have observed a rat refusing to push a lever which will release his food when he knows that a fellow rat will also receive an electric shock; elephants helping an antelope to escape an enclosure; a monkey helping another one that hasn’t yet learned that a token must be inserted into a slot for her to receive her food. There are also accounts of dolphins and whales coming to the aid of humans stranded at sea. Birds and fish also exhibit altruistic behavior.

There is over three hundred species of birds help at the nest, where individuals who are not going to raise any of their own young will help other parents raise their young. Usually they're relatives, but not always. There are cichlid fish in Africa who do the same thing, not even related to the parent fish. They help them raise their young.

We also have examples of midwifery, wet nursing, nannying, and babysitting in nature among various species. We even have a new term in biology based on the behavior of Seychelles warblers, which have been shown that grandparents will help their offspring's young. So they're helping two generations down. So we have a new term in biology: “grand chicks.”

Professor Marc Bekoff, an ecologist at the University of Colorado in Boulder Colorado, USA, stated in the article, “Animals Can Tell Right from Wrong”: “The belief that humans have morality and animals don’t is a long-standing assumption, but there is a growing amount of evidence that is showing us that this simply cannot be the case. Just as in humans, the moral nuances of a particular culture or group will be different from another, but they are certainly there.” As such, the principles of fairness and equality are also appreciated in the animal kingdom.

New studies are showing that animals have a sense of fairness. Two dogs who are asked to shake a paw with a human will happily shake a paw. But if you start giving food, giving a treat to this one dog, for shaking the paw but not to the other one, the one who’s not getting the treat will soon stop and look away, essentially showing, “I don’t appreciate the unfair treatment.” So they are aware of some sort of unfairness here, which is something we certainly understand.

Similarly with monkeys, if both monkeys are getting cucumbers, and they like to eat cucumbers, they happily will take them. But if you suddenly switch to grapes with this monkey, they really like grapes, even better than cucumbers, this monkey will no longer accept cucumber. He will hand it back or throw it away and hold his hands out, looking at the other monkey, you know, “Why am I not getting grapes? I am doing the same thing.” So these are clever biology studies that show that animals also have a sense of fairness. They appreciate being treated respectfully and fairly and equally to others, just as we do.

Dr. Frans de Waal, a primatologist from the US-based Yerkes Regional Primate Research Center at Emory University, did a long term study on a monkey named Mozu which revealed virtuous behavior in animals.

Mozu was a Japanese macaques, a monkey similar to these animals on the cover of my book. And Mozu was born with a very, very severe physical disability. She had no hands, and she had no feet. And you think of a monkey, pretty much any animal, but certainly a monkey, no hands, no feet, no climbing, no grasping of food.

This animal is not going to live very long. Mozu actually lived a long life, and raised 5 young, which is more than most females will do in macaques society. She couldn't have done it by herself. She relied and benefited from the goodness of others who helped her, fed her, did favors to her. Virtuous behavior.

Animals are often thought of as purely instinctual creatures whose only focus is on their survival. However, this misconception is being dispelled more and more through the numerous studies of animal behavior which show animals acting out of charity and kindness.

Let me just give you one story about chickens that I think is pretty intriguing and revealing. One of the calls that chickens make, it’s made only by roosters. It is called a food solicitation call or a come hither call, and it’s intended for a hen. And it’s been shown roosters will never make this call if there is no hen in sight. It’s for their benefit.

And hens are very tuned in to these calls. If the hen is nearby, she hears this call, she comes running. And the rooster typically only makes this call when he has found some morsel of food. So, the hen comes running and the rooster very gallantly sort of points it out and steps back. And often the hen will find it and she’ll eat it.

Given that scientific evidence prove animals to be as noble and sentient as humans, how can we best show our reverence for the lives of our fellow beings?

One of the reasons I admire Supreme Master Ching Hai, is that her message is that we need a new relationship with animals as well. We need to stop eating them, putting them in our mouths, we need to respect them and love them, and celebrate that they are also part of this rich planet that we live in.

Going vegan or having a plant-based diet is the most profound and immediate way that an individual can do right by animals. You stop eating them, you immediately remove yourself from that whole factory farming, transport, slaughterhouse thing that we do. If you stop eating eggs and milk, well, you’re no longer supporting calves being removed from their mothers as soon as they’re born.

Anne Frank said, "Isn’t it wonderful that we needn’t wait another moment before changing the world for the better?" I love that sentiment, because becoming vegetarian or vegan is an immediate way that you can save animals’ lives, every day, every week of the year.

For more information on Dr. Jonathan Balcombe, please visit:

Thank you for joining us today for Animal World: Our Co-Inhabitants. Join us again Saturday for the conclusion of our program, “Exploring the Intriguing Inner Lives of Animals with Dr. Jonathan Balcombe.” Up next is Enlightening Entertainment, right after Noteworthy News here on Supreme Master Television. May your life be filled with wonder, respect and gratitude for all God’s creations.