Interaction with animals nurtures the loving, empathetic, compassionate aspects of human nature. It taps into a primordial reverence towards the living world and a sense of the commonality and connectedness across species. It is a gateway, as I was discovering, into a state of greater respect for nature and the environment as a whole. But at the same time, there is an immense power imbalance. We all too easily subordinate animals to our will, constraining or confining them to suit our purposes, needs and lifestyles.
