Skeptics say there's no scientific proof that animals grieve. Bioethicist Jessica says we should be more cautious about anthropomorphizing animals and avoiding using words like grief. If we allow ourselves to assume that things that look like grief and other animals are grief, it lets us ask questions such as: What is the point of grief? Is it adaptive?
A dog on its owner’s grave. A killer whale carrying around its dead calf. A goose that isolates when its mate dies. These behaviors in animals may look like human mourning, but should scientists call them "grief?"
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Jennifer Vonk's research study on pet cats reactions to the death of companion animals can be found here.
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