Lesson 2: Expel The Rumors

Rumors are bad. They give you a bad reputation. In the animal world, they are excuses.
This lesson: Expel The Rumors.
You can give me a list of what people THINK about animals like pigs, bats or rats, and I can pinpoint every myth on that page, which should be half the page.
I can only think of a few major pig myths (good thing) which are:
1. Pigs are mean
2. Pigs are dumb
3. Pigs are messy eaters
4. Pigs are dirty
All are NOT true. Pigs are very sweet animals, unless put under the stressful conditions of factory farms. Pigs are also said to be smarter than dogs, and plus, no animal is "dumb". Pigs do not "eat like pigs". They like to push around their food to release it's taste and smell so that they can really enjoy their meals. And the only reason pigs roll in mud is because they have no other way to cool off. And, pigs are actually very neat animals: they have a section in their homes where they eat, a section where they sleep and a "bathroom"!
I have heard all the bat myths.
1. Bats suck blood
2. Bats carry rabies
3. Bats are dirty
4. Bats get stuck in your hair
5. Bats are rodents
Bats are BY FAR one of the most misunderstood creatures on the planet.
Most of these myths are science-based. Any ordinary nerd could tell you that only a few species drink blood, and they only prey on animals like chickens. Bats do not carry rabies. Like any other mammal, they can CONTACT rabies! Bats are not dirty. Why would they? They just fly out of their nice caves at night and munch on bugs! And bats getting stuck in your hair is an old wive's tale. As their bad as their eyesight is, they can see. And big one, BATS ARE NOT RODENTS. Not close. In fact, they are so unique, they have their own class!
Rats. Hated for centuries. They spread disease- wrong.
1. Rats spread disease
2. Rats are dirty
During the Black Plague, it was not rats who spread the disease. It was ticks who got onto the rat's skin and jumped off near humans. Blame the ticks! Them! Not Rats! Anyway, rats aren't the CLEANEST animals on the planet, but the don't wallow in filth all day.
Some people think fish are brainless and have no feelings. Listen to these.
1. Goldfish have a three second memory
2. Fish feel no pain and have no feelings
It has been proved that fish remember and feel. (You know: The ol' maze project.)
There is a story from an old African magazine about two fish, Blackie and Big Red. Blackie was a deformed goldfish, and Big Red took him under his wing, I mean fins. Big Red would carry Blackie around on his back and swim him up to the surface to eat.
Summed up: Lot's of myths out there.