Knuts Surrogate Daddy found Dead in Apt

LinetteH said:

Oh! So sad! Iam sure Knut will adapt and even though the article says Knut will not suffer the feeling of loss I think he will!!

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montana_16 said:

I hate when humans say animals don't mourn or have feelings. There have been many documented instances of animals mourning their human or other animal friends. I've seen it myself amongst my birds.

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gaia227 said:

I do too. I also despise pet stores (in general) who have birds that mate for life but will sell them separetly. Birds have died after their mate is taken away.

Chimps and other primates have been filmed mourning the loss of one their group. There was the baby whose mother was killed and the baby laid by her body for days and then climbed up a tree and sat there until he died.
Another documented case of a mother chimp holding her dead baby for days and refusing to eat.

Dogs who have gone into depressions or simply died shortly after their owner. Lots of people have studied the intricities of wolf packs and how the pack reacts to one another, etc and it seems pretty evident their is an emotional and mental bond there.

Elephants are thought to understand loss and mourn it. They often cover their dead friend with various leaves, etc and will often stay with the body for days.

We had two Siamese cats we had raised together since they were kittens until old age. One died of kidney failure at 16 and the other was obviously very distraught her companion was gone. She didn't eat, she would walk around the house yowling and crying, she started sleeping in the other cats basket (they had their own). We were already heartbroken and that just added to the grief to see her grieve like that as well.

So, yes I totally agree with you. Animals have emotional capabilites many of the smarter animals have that ability that reaches the level a two year old - think about how emotional attached a two yr old child is to their mother. That another reason why it breaks my heart to think about all the animals who are abused and treated cruelly in this world.

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