Better parents?

The image of the meerkats that appeared on Friday's front page also appeared on the cover of the July 14 Science magazine. The magazine reported that meerkats teach their young by allowing them to practice prey-handling skills with live prey. This is important evidence of teaching in nonhuman species.

One wonders who has more effective parenting skills: the meerkats or humans who do not teach their children to heed a zoo's barrier separating them from meerkats?

DOUGLAS ALLCHIN, ST. PAUL