Video Suggests Mother Chimps May Grieve Death of an Infant Study
may improve understanding of how other primates respond to
mortality, researchers say FRIDAY, Feb. 4 (HealthDay News) --
The death of a baby chimp caused responses in a mother
chimpanzee not typically seen directed toward live infants, but
it's unclear whether she was actually mourning, researchers say.
The new report may help improve understanding of how
chimpanzees, one of humans' closest primate relatives, respond
to and learn about death, the study authors noted. In the study,
the researchers observed and made videos of a mother chimpanzee
whose 16-month-old infant just died. After carrying the dead
infant's body for a day, the mother placed the body on the
ground in a clearing and repeatedly approached the body and held
her fingers against the infant's face and neck for a number of
seconds. The mother remained near the body for nearly an hour,
watching it from a distance, then carried it to a group of
chimpanzees and watched as they investi