mourning monk(ey)s
 

well, baboons at least:
http://dsc.discovery.com/news/briefs/20060206/baboon_ani.html?source=rss

The article mentions that this is the first documented consolation behavior thought to be related to the death of a loved one in non humans, but I swear I read something about elephants behaving this way a couple of years ago. Anyone else remember anything about elephants? (the elephant never forgets...)

I saw that, in which a family group revisited the bone pile of a deceased relative. They gently picked-up the bones and handled them carefully before placing them gently on the ground. I was surprised at the obvious care with which they did that.

I think the concept of other beings in the animal kingdom grieving is much more common than we are comfortable with. I've had occasions where one of our pets has died and whether the other pets see the remains in the flesh or cremated, they make an obvious display of reverence. The most recent was when one of our cats died due to cancer. We brought the cremated remains back in an urn, and all the others voluntarily came up to sniff it and stay a while by the urn. The cat that was the closest to the one who had died cried and cried after smelling the urn.

Elk will also show deference to the remains of thief fallen kin and often bugle upon finding them. The tonal range of the sound they make, is beyond description.

I read: I think the concept of other beings in the animal kingdom is more common than we are comfortable with. Monkey Ghosts!

Bot, was that on the Elephant IMAX film? I think that is where I first saw that behavior, because I've got the same images in my mind. I went on to investigate it further and found lots of anecdotal evidence to that end, but didn't see anything relating to hormone levels like in these baboons.

They are a lot smarter than the Monkey we got in the white house:D

Good Grief, he's channeling Boner!

Boner?

Yup, when my cat of 21 years passed. My dog who grows up with her grieved. Human in general is too arrogant to admit that animals do have feelings. A teaching handed down from our Church that we were created after God's image, and animals are just animals.

There are christian and other religious nutjobs who think only humans have souls, and the only purpose animals have is to become food for us. I'm not at all surprised by the grieving and other emotions that animals go through. They have many of the same feelings that humans do, they're just not as intelligent as most humans. I read somewhere an adult dog has about the same IQ as a typical 3-year old human, but there are species that are more intelligent than dogs, such as dolphins, pigs and some primates.

It's silly to think animals have souls or that humans are not animals. What is a soul? How do you differentiate humans from animals?

We are all red in tooth and claw.

Bot

lets trade him for bhd

I didn't mean to imply that humans are not animals. I was using the word "animal" in the context most people use it, i.e. non-human creatures. Humans are indeed animals too, I fully agree with that. About souls, what I find silly is the distinction that many religious people make that only humans have souls but not animals. If you ask me, I don't know if there are souls, but I'd say if they exist then all animals have them, not just humans.

DUDE.......................
Man................
No name calling please. I wasn't exactly a fan of BHD you know:D

Do human souls have to go to heaven with the other animal souls too? Ugh, think of all the ressurected windshield moths, mosquitos, black flies, and road-kill skunks. I'll pass.

why is there a correlation between emotional response and a soul?

Show me a soul and I'll give you an answer.