Robbie Coltrane Quotes

I never thought I could learn much from a dog or cat. They sleep when we sleep. They eat when we eat. I'm into observing animals being as wild as they can be in a captive environment.

The buffalo is a surprisingly stupid animal.

When we see animals doing remarkable things, how do we know if we're simply seeing tricks or signs of real intelligence? Are talented animals just obeying commands, or do they have some kind of deeper understanding? One of the biggest challenges for animal researchers is to come up with tests that can distinguish between the two.

No matter how hard you try to teach your cat general relativity, you're going to fail.

I have held healthy respects of bears along with assorted crocodiles, snakes and lots of other animals. You know, bears are dangerous, you have to be super careful.

You know, if you have a zoo you don't want the other creatures to see you. You want them to hang out and act properly and, you know, when the monkeys will come and ask for the bananas, they won't act like monkeys. If you want them to act on what their true nature is, you've got to leave them alone.

With kangaroos, you say 'Sit!' and they start boxing with you. They're nuts!

I was much entertained last summer with a tame bat, which would take flies out of a person's hand.

Fleas can be taught nearly anything that a Congressman can.

Dogs are a window on the natural world.

I want to get a wolf and an eagle.

Sheep are stupid, and have to be driven. But goats are intelligent, and need to be led.

I’m a big fan of parrots - I think they’re fascinating creatures. Many of them live for longer than us humans and it's interesting to me the way they learn to mimic human voices even though they don't really comprehend what they're saying.

Most birds are geniuses. We had one that became a pet; he learned to talk, use tools and solve problems.

Dogs are in on our human silliness; lions are not.

My cat brought me a toy. I thanked her and threw it. She sat there gave me a look that made me realize people and dogs are the crazy ones.

When most of us talk to our dogs, we tend to forget that they're not people.

No truth appears to me more evident than that beasts are endowed with thought and reason as well as men.

Any glimpse into the life of an animal quickens our own and makes it so much the larger and better in every way.

Animals are like autistic savants. In fact, I'd go so far as to say that animals might actually be autistic savants. Animals have special talents normal people don't, the same way autistic people have special talents normal people don't; and at least some animals have special forms of genius normal people don't, the same way some autistic savants have special forms of genius. I think most of the time animal genius probably happens for the same reason autistic genius does: a difference in the brain autistic people share with animals.

If a pig could give his mind to anything, he would not be a pig.

We argued about how hard it would be to ride a bear, assuming said bear was muzzled.

It is remarkable how many creatures live wild and free though secret in the woods.

However much you know giraffes, to see one in the wild for the first time feels prehistoric.

When we return wild animals to nature, we merely return them to what is already theirs. For man cannot give wild animals freedom, they can only take it away.