Does a bear sulk in the woods? Do animals, grieve? Love? Hate?
Do they feel fear, rage, pride, remorse, happiness, shame, envy,
jealousy, sadness and all those other emotions that add texture
and confusion to our lives. You betcha, Marc Bekoff says in his
Psychology Today blog, Animal Emotions. “There is no doubt that
many animals experience rich and deep emotions. It’s not a
matter of if emotions have evolved in animals but why they have
evolved as they have,” he writes. “We must never forget that our
emotions are the gifts of our ancestors, our animal kin. We have
feelings and so do other animals.” The piece goes on to present
some compelling examples. Sea lion mothers, watching their
babies being eaten by killer whales, wail pitifully. Dolphins
have been seen struggling to save a dead infant and mourn
afterward. What appears to be grief has been observed in
elephants when a member of the family, a non-relative, or even a
member of another species succumbs. Bekoff cites the case of
Gana, a captive gorilla,