[Animals] Do animals grieve?

[BirSaNN]

If animals grieve, what does it mean for their welfare and conservation?

 

 

Deep in a Tanzanian rainforest in 1972, a famous aging chimpanzee matriarch called Flo breathed her last breath. For her son, Flint, it seemed to be an unbearable loss. The chimp, who was unusually bonded to his mother, suddenly grew listless, losing his appetite and becoming increasingly isolated from the rest of the troop. 

"He ate seldom, and by the end of the third week had lost more than a third of his weight," wrote(opens in new tab) a young Jane Goodall: The famous primatologist had been a long-time observer of the troop. Then, one month after his mother died, Goodall reported that the emaciated Flint had died, too. 

Researchers have recorded dozens of accounts of strange and heart-rending behaviors like this across the animal kingdom, when an animal's relatives or companions die. These behaviors bring up a compelling question: Do animals grieve and mourn their dead as humans do?

• https://www.livescience.com/do-animals-grieve