In the context of the chital (Axis axis, that deer of "lithe grace and lovely spotted coat"), the popular quote doing the rounds –
“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you'd better be running!” (Maurice Greene ? Also attributed to Roger Bannister shortly after running the first sub-4 mile) –
can be seen as: every morning in India, a chital wakes up. It knows that it must detect the stealthiest tiger or it’ll be killed. Or to improve it further: the chital knows, day and night (at dawn n dusk) that it better be vigilant enough to discover the stealthiest tiger (or leopard, for that matter) or the cud it is looking forward to chewing, sitting on the soft patch under the ficus feeling the cool breeze on the moist muzzle, won't be getting much mastication. Maybe it’s this understanding that makes it seek out others and (asisted by social abilities more developed that solitary deer species) and try and find solace in numbers.
And then there’s the undeniable advantage of having more eyes n ears at your disposal (did Mark Antony, Caeser’s first cousin, once removed, have that in mind? – sorry). But don’t let me fool you into believing that they live a life of constant terror. No. On the contrary, they seem to graze (loads) sit around rest play and of course (who can escape the ineluctable power of hormones?) threaten spar mate n go about their business. But of course they need to keep scanning, stay on the lookout, furtive glances interruptin watever they’re doin; n obviously they have their casual moments, when the great knowledge is disregarded, the danger neglected and… the tiger needs to eat too.
So now we have a picture of the chital. Not perfect, but I guess it’ll do. So what makes them tick? What is it that makes a chital a chital? What goes on behind those big often-scanning staring-down-rivals large-lashed eyes, under the lyre-shaped shrub-thrashing annually-shed sweeping antlers, between the flicking white-hair-inside listening-for-danger ears?
“Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up. It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed.Every morning in Africa, a lion wakes up. It knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death.It doesn't matter whether you are a lion or a gazelle. When the sun comes up, you'd better be running!” (Maurice Greene ? Also attributed to Roger Bannister shortly after running the first sub-4 mile) –
can be seen as: every morning in India, a chital wakes up. It knows that it must detect the stealthiest tiger or it’ll be killed. Or to improve it further: the chital knows, day and night (at dawn n dusk) that it better be vigilant enough to discover the stealthiest tiger (or leopard, for that matter) or the cud it is looking forward to chewing, sitting on the soft patch under the ficus feeling the cool breeze on the moist muzzle, won't be getting much mastication. Maybe it’s this understanding that makes it seek out others and (asisted by social abilities more developed that solitary deer species) and try and find solace in numbers.
And then there’s the undeniable advantage of having more eyes n ears at your disposal (did Mark Antony, Caeser’s first cousin, once removed, have that in mind? – sorry). But don’t let me fool you into believing that they live a life of constant terror. No. On the contrary, they seem to graze (loads) sit around rest play and of course (who can escape the ineluctable power of hormones?) threaten spar mate n go about their business. But of course they need to keep scanning, stay on the lookout, furtive glances interruptin watever they’re doin; n obviously they have their casual moments, when the great knowledge is disregarded, the danger neglected and… the tiger needs to eat too.
So now we have a picture of the chital. Not perfect, but I guess it’ll do. So what makes them tick? What is it that makes a chital a chital? What goes on behind those big often-scanning staring-down-rivals large-lashed eyes, under the lyre-shaped shrub-thrashing annually-shed sweeping antlers, between the flicking white-hair-inside listening-for-danger ears?
