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  • AADD Moderators: swilow | Vagabond696

Animals that take DRUGS!

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Jan 9, 2003
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I was driving to work today and listening to Dr Karl Kruszelnicki on Triple J. He brought up a very interesting point about some animals that take mind altering substances for kicks. It got me thinking. Could wanting to get into an altered state be a primal instinct rather than a human thing? :D

The bottom line: animals like to get high – hundreds of animal species, from the ant to the elephant, actively seek out hallucinogenic plants. Samorini is careful to distinguish between accidental intoxication – nature’s equivalent of being spiked – and the deliberate, methodical, at times even aggressive search for psychedelic satisfaction. This somewhat startling fact raises vital questions, not least that of animal consciousness.

If even an ant can tell the difference between being straight and high, in this instance by sucking secretions from the abdomen of a lomechusa beetle, what does this tell us about the consciousness of something like a mandrill, which munches the intensely potent iboga root, then waits up to two hours for the effects to kick in before engaging in territorial battle with another mandrill? Equally fascinating is the fact that many animals appear to use psychedelics recreationally – and that not all individuals of a particular species will indulge, just as some humans are more partial to tripping out than others. One in the eye for the stark behaviourists, it would seem.

All of Samorini’s evidence comes from first-hand observation by himself and others, though it is of the “we gave an elephant 300 tabs of LSD, it keeled over and died” school of science. But he does take great delight in describing the orderly queues formed by his neighbourhood cats as they take hits on his catnip plant; or of being butted out of the way by an Alpine goat who thought he was going to munch a clump of tasty psilocybin mushrooms before it did.

Too careful to speculate at any length on why animals take drugs, here Samorini concedes to Ronald K Siegel (from whose Intoxication much of the observational material is also drawn) and Edward de Bono. Siegel suggests that intoxication is an evolutionary force, while de Bono talks of the value of depatterning in evolutionary development – forcing the mind to break with established routines and habits, and so discover new approaches to important matters of survival.

Unquestionably, certain psychedelic plants also improve perception and sharpen the senses, giving the psychedelicised predator, or prey, a distinct evolutionary advantage. But if Samorini won’t speculate, we certainly can. If animals use psychedelic drugs, and we know that Stone Age humans did, and presumably their ancestors, might we not wonder – in Terence McKenna mode – what kind of role they played in the evolution of human consciousness?

Souce

I think this is an interesting topic. Do you know of other animals that take mind-altering substances on their own accord?
 
if u think about it, where animals and we like drugs.

I find it amusing though when you go mushroom picking and you get one that looks like a insect has ate some of it.
 
One of our 2 cats (coochy willow lickin') eats magic mushrooms which come up on our front lawn from time to time. She was never fed them by us, it's a totally natural tendency. She's a blue burmese. The russian blue (other cat named bluey) doesn't seem to be attracted in the slightest. But when cooch bounces in wide eyed 8o and crazy, poor old bluey knows its time to head for the hills:\ He's usually out of range until she comes down.


Years ago I knew a guy whos cat Apatchy used to search out pot and eat the lot. Too bad if you crashed on the couch and your pot fell out of your pocket :X

Yep, many animals and insects go for plants with a lift! We all know bees get high off honey, Koalas get high off gum leaves, and sheep just love that Polaris grass do death 8(
 
Cats seem to be prone to seeking out a high. My mate had a tabby that would on occasion pounce on a cane toad and take one long single lick along its back. About twenty minutes after this he would go nuts for hours. Climbing walls, rolling on the floor while making funny happy moaning sounds. It was hilarious.

Cuddles :)
 
Wont somebody think of the children, urm the kitties i mean!

I have long suspected that drug taking was an evolutionary selective pressure, and am glad that people are researching it. Oh when will the day come when we, the much looked down upon drug using community can finally stand up and declare abstainers atavistic apes, who are halting the progress of mankind and the evolution of the mind with their deficient genes?
Oops i forgot those same abstainers don't believe in any well demonstrated scientific theory such as, mmmm, evolution!
 
Every single time I sit down at a friends house to roll a spliff, her cat comes and tries to get in the way until I light up the joint and it can smell a bit of the smoke... I think the cat's a stoner.

If I have a normal cigarette, the cat hovers just the same, but then mooches off disgusted when he realises that it's just tobacco smoke and no choof.

BigTrancer :)
 
When we were alot younger and idiots, we used to hold the dogs nose and blow bong smoke into there face (Appoligies wouldn't do it any more) but now the dogs always hang around when someones smoking and if any choof is left anywhere she eats it.

I think we got her hooked, thats peer presure for you!
 
One time when me and some mates were tripping on mushies and we were wandering around a lake where some ducks were. We had also just picked some freshy mushies and the ducks came over thinking we had food...

well...after several minutes of moral delemma, we decided to throw them a few and see what happened. Prior to them eating them, all the ducks were very quiet and not doing much.
After 2 of the ducks ate some they wouldn't stop trying to bury their heads into the ground! they eventually made their way to the water and for HOURS the 2 ducks wouldn't stop bobbing their heads in the water while all the other 'normal' ducks did nothing.

Next day we went back to see if they were ok. they were :D
 
There was an interesting doco a couple of months back, I think on the ABC that showed footage amongst other things of monkeys getting plastered on alcohol they were stealing from a beer garden.
 
LOL these stories are hilarious but you shouldn't give ducks mushies nor should you blow smoke towards a dog.

doofhard - i have a friend that did that once to his flatmate's dog. now the dog comes and hangs out when we have choofs. the other dog that was in teh backyard at the time has no interest in our activities.

Phase_dancer - it's funny how you mention one cat likes mushies and the other keeps well away. Very similar views on the subject in our own society.

Makes me happy and less guilty to know that so many different species on this planet share this behavior :D
 
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Some friends of mine have a cat with a serious problem.

1- Very friendly as soon as you pick up the bong and rubs along you until you exhale in its dirrection.

2- Climbs on the table (with a mirror top) after you do lines off it and licks all the left over powders up (no matter what it was!!).

3- Has triped on Mescaline 2 times. It was in the kitty bowl and half was eaten, sending pussy over the edge for many hours. She came back latter and finished it off!!!

4- After considering her affinity with Mescaline some liquid acid was squirted in her dirrect and she appeared to love the experience.

This was all a bit to much for me the first time I met the cat after a big doof and I was a little embaresed that I had met a cat with a bigger drug problem than me. Im just glad she never found the crack pipe.......
 
Interesting how animals often show this somewhat indivdual preference for such things. But at the risk of appearing paranoid, I suggest you think carefully about describing incidents where animals have been "forced" or even coerced/tricked into having drugs.

In the hands of the appropriately concerned people this is seen in much the same light as spiking, or worse. It's one thing for animal behavior to be out of your control, but to intentionally inflict......
 
I agree completely. Tell you the truth I was quite freaked out when I was shown this cats behavior and it made me wonder if it was wise to acept a drink while hanging with these guys.... (then again that could have been the amphetamines talking)
 
you shoud see my dog after he hasn't had his heroin fix, he's strung out and talking to himself like a nutter. If i don't keep him locked up he'll be straight down to kings cross and talking to some dodgy bloke in a side alley. Normally, when he gets like that i'll just get his bong, i have to pack it and light it for him, his paws aren't dextrous enough.
 
You know that 'interested' face dogs look at you with when you make a weird noise? You know, the sideways tilting, mouth-closed face?

Well my dog used to do that all the time when I was smoking weed with a pipe. I blew some smoke in his face (not directly, only to exhale) and he certainly got closer & closer to me. He also kept looking at the pipe with this thin 'stream' of smoke coming out of it. I think he liked pipes better, which wouldn't surprise me, the rolling papers we had back in TZ were thicker than leather. No one likes to take a drag off a joint & feel like you had a shot of tequila.

The big surprise (no, not really) came when I was smoking a cig and he not only didn't seem so interested, but also turned away when I exhaled the smoke in his face.

Even my dog (rest in peace geri) knew. This just shows that most humans are much, much dumber than animals.
 
Anyone that owns a jack russel terrier will tell you that their dogs are on speed. they just have soo much energy
 
I once saw a group of people racking up lines of good pills (goddamn, snorting hurts!) on top of a large tropical fish tank... anyway, the glass broke and 2 1/2 pills worth of finely chopped up goodness went in with the glass. No one, no fish either, was hurt by the glass... but the fish started going absoloutley NUTS about 20 minutes after it, with two clown loaches continually trying to mate for around 4 hours... funny shit, even if one of the catfish died as a result :(
 
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