Kruck’s 1972 research describes scenes from the animal kingdom that show that senseless and wanton killing does occur. These include the slaughter of gazelles by hyenas, in quantities way beyond their need or capacity to eat, or the destruction of gulls that could not fly on a stormy night and thus were “sitting ducks” for foxes that proceed to kill them beyond any possible need for food. Shalit points out that “such senseless violence in the animal world—as well as most of the violence in the human domain—is shown by groups rather than by individuals.”
