New scientific research documents the surprising intelligence and emotional depth in many species of animals. Through studies in labs and in the wild researchers have found animals communicating complex ideas, solving problems, using tools and expressing feelings - behaviors once thought to be uniquely human.

For 14,000 years humans have been communicating with dogs using a system of communication that suits us both. Dogs communicate through body language and many different vocalizations. Dogs know so much about us - our moods, our intentions - and this makes them wonderful and devoted companions. And dogs have been put to many uses. They have been trained to detect cancer in humans, to find drugs and explosives and human remains, to detect epileptic seizures before they happen, to assist humans with various disabilities and to save lives in various circumstances including war.

Dogs have been used in school programs where children with reading difficulties improve when reading to dogs.

A program in Oregon matched troubled teenage inmates with troubled dogs from shelters. The teens experienced that caring for a dog is a big commitment and a rewarding emotional experience. And the dogs were able to eventually be adopted into good homes. In 15 years none of these teens has re-offended.

We all have the potential to communicate with a pet by watching, listening, interacting and thus expanding our world. Living with a pet has been found to have health benefits for their humans too, such as lowering blood pressure and reducing anxiety.

Scientists push those boundaries and find ways to communicate with other species, observe the ways of communication among animal's own species and between different species.

Jane Goodall, in a television special, “When Animals Talk,” found she was able to understand the language and society of chimps in Tanzania and to communicate with them. She saw that two chimps who like each other embrace and kiss in ways very similar to humans.

Orangutans and humans share 97 percent of the same DNA so it is no surprise that the primates exhibit impressive brainpower. A 28-year-old orangutan living in the Atlanta Zoo has learned sign language, can comprehend spoken English and can carry on conversations with his keepers.

Scientist Rupert Sheldrake spent a year observing Orcas (killer whales closely related to dolphins) off the coast of Patagonia, Argentina.

Over time, he was able to row out to them as they came closer and closer and was even able to call them close by names he gave them. Eventually he got into the water with them, played the harmonica for them and a bond of affection was developed.

Other scientists have observed and tracked the sonar communications among wild whales and noted that all the observed whales were singing the same “song” but a month later their song had changed. For centuries, dolphins have been known as wise guardians of the sea, protecting sailors from sharks and guiding ships to land. They have an impressive ability to communicate with each other over vast distances using high pitched whistles to converse with other dolphins that they cannot see. Some can even understand sign language.

Elephants too have been observed to communicate with each other over a distance of eight miles using a language of very low frequency calls that we cannot hear. Elephants were seen to run to high ground well ahead of the 2004 tsunami in Thailand but also to exhibit such jumbo-sized compassion as to not only scream out a warning but witnesses reported that they scooped up with their trunks about a dozen tourists and carried them to safety. Elephants have also been observed helping each other and grieving the death of one of their own herd.

Perhaps the most impressive of all are African Grey Parrots. When such a parrot lives with someone who tutors it, it can develop the cognitive abilities of a 5-year-old child.

A parrot named Alex can identify 50 different objects, seven colors, five shapes, quantities up to six and the concepts of bigger, smaller, same and different. And he knows what is appropriate to say. He has been known to say “I'm sorry.”

He has also been able to take information from one domain and apply it to another. You can Google Alex plus African Grey Parrot and you'll get 207,000 hits.

Another African Grey named NKisee learned 1,077 words, speaks in sentences, talks about his past and his future and expresses his own thoughts and experiences.

Tool use also was once thought to separate man from beast but scientists report there are many animals that use implements. One example is the crow. Candace Savage in her book “Crows: Encounters with the Wise Guys” reports on crows that chew the ends of sticks to fashion elaborate hooked tools for snaring grubs out of rotting trees. Crows have also been observed creating tools out of wire to get food out of containers.

Pigs too have been found to be intelligent and compassionate. I read a story about a pig that stayed with a girl who took a bad fall in a barn and attempted to draw attention to her plight.

April is Stop Animal Cruelty month and all of these animals are still the victims of cruelty at the hands of humans.

Dolphins are caught and killed in tuna nets, elephants are killed for their ivory tusks, dogs and cats are euthanized by the thousands or suffer other mistreatment, parrots are smuggled into the country in inhumane ways, pigs and other farm animals lead lives of suffering and then experience terrible deaths for their meat, primates as well as other animals are used for laboratory experiments and we know what has happened to crows in Auburn.

Judy Vorreuter is the founder and director of Animal Advocates of the Finger Lakes