„Zaiste, nikt im losu zazdrościć nie może”. Robert Falcon Scott i Apsley Cherry-Garrard o swoich zwierzętach w drodze na biegun południowy

Abstract

The article is devoted to the attitudes of Robert Falcon Scott and his expedition companions towards animals on the way to the South Pole – both the animals they brought with them on the ship “Terra Nova” and those they encountered in Antarctica. Scott took 34 dogs and 19 Manchu ponies on this arduous expedition. None of them survived. This aim is to draw attention to the human dimension of the expedition, but it becomes a contribution to the history of relationships between humans and animals in Europe just before the First World War. Analysis of the reports of Robert F. Scott and Apsley Cherry-Garrard (a member of the expedition) allows us to conclude that the explorers felt a great deal of affection for the animals. In the face of their tragic fate, they often reflected on their own guilt and mistakes. The suffering of animals was marked firmly in their minds, and the only kind of justification was their desire to enrich humanity with new knowledge.