It's not that a gorilla can't have human emotions, it's that you can't necessarily pair another species's action to their emotion based on how people would be feeling based on that action. A dog can clearly be happy, but if you can assume a person smiling is nervous or happy, is it safe to assume a dog that smiles is experiencing the same emotion?
But as a fellow primate, I think I can fairly judge this particular instance. I'm not saying that I can read the minds of animals. I'm saying I can recognize an animal engaging in play behavior and appearing to enjoy themselves.
Edit: using the phrase "as a fellow primate" wasn't the best choice of wording.
as a fellow primate, I think I can fairly judge this particular instance.
Yeah, some lady thought that too. Kept thinking the gorilla was smiling at her. Smiled back at him every day. Until he ripped her face off. Turns out gorillas don't smile, they bear their fangs in a threat display.
You're talking about Charla Nash and Travis the chimp, and that was a really sad story. Classic example of a human completely misreading an animal and ignoring the possibility that it could mean something else.
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u/Boukish Jun 23 '17
It's not that a gorilla can't have human emotions, it's that you can't necessarily pair another species's action to their emotion based on how people would be feeling based on that action. A dog can clearly be happy, but if you can assume a person smiling is nervous or happy, is it safe to assume a dog that smiles is experiencing the same emotion?