Many mammals and birds have systems for strong self-control, and it is not difficult to see why such systems were advantageous and were selected for. Biding your time, deferring gratification, staying still, foregoing sex for safety, and so forth, is essential in getting food, in surviving, and in successful reproduction.
There are physical karmas that carry through death. Jesus Christ may no longer be with us but his effects continue on in the world. Those waves will be passed on from one person to another to another.