The human race prides itself on being the most organised of animals. We manage the fate of all other species. All other animals bow to our control or suffer. In diminishing numbers we allow some to live in the wild, but in increasing numbers we domesticate them, and whether they become part of the family, a best friend or a wonderfully decorative accessory, we take their compliance for granted.

Such a shame, then, when these creatures take umbrage and prepare their revenge on us. They do so in ways designed to show that when the tables turn, ‘mercy’ is just a word that we humans plead for and expect, but, of course, it is always denied.