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There is a difference between killing and murder. I submit that animals are incapable of murder. That trick Man alone knows how to play. As for the fabled lions - I suspect that was a fable and nothing more.
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In order to make that statement you have to define killing and murder. So when a tomcat comes upon a litter of kittens it hasn't sired, does he murder or kill them? When a mongoose finds a non-poisonous snake, that it's not going to eat, does it kill or murder the snake? When Shrikes have an overabundance of prey, do the murder or kill the ones they don't eat?
Even human law divides murder into many catagories depending on the circumstances, so where do you draw the line?
I disagree on the Tsavo lions in that I think it's documented well enough that although it could well be exaggerated, I doubt if it's fabricated. Animals, like humans, occasionally produce odd looking and/or behaving individuals. That's what keeps Wolf and my friend Sharon, the Animal Control Officer, guessing.
