[Taka]

I think this is your kind of question: a question about animals. Please read the sentences below:

Why would an animal want to cooperate with a human? The behaviorist would say that animals cooperate when, through reinforcement, they learn it is in their interest to cooperate. This is true as far as it goes, but I don't think it goes far enough, if we remember that some rewards are more important than others. Certainly with humans, the reinforcement that comes from self-respect, dignity, and accomplishment can be far more motivating than material rewards. Is it also possible that it is important for an animal to feel that it has some purpose, that for social animals that purpose involves meaningful interactions with others, and that the self-respect gained from cooperation might be more important than getting a biscuit as a reward?

Zookeepers recognize this. Those who work with animals have been doing their best to try to understand the emotional as well as material needs of different animals in order to relieve the boredom and purposelessness of captivity. Through enrichment programs, a cheetah might still feel the thrill of the hunt by chasing after make-believe prey in a specially constructed race at the San Diego Zoo. In Scotland, tigers must run up a twenty-foot-high pole to get to food at certain times.


Now, about the "social animals" above, what does "social" exactly mean there? "Living together with humans and sometimes helping us" or "Living together with the same kind of animals in organized groups"?