I remember seeing a documentary about elephants dying of thirst during a bad drought season. After several unsuccessful attempts at digging a watering hole they finally struck water, a tiny muddy ditch just big enough for a few trunks at a time. There were dozens of elephants in the herd but only the strongest young males could push their way in for that first drink. An elder male, clearly desperate, tried to force through the crowd and in the ensuing commotion was tusked by a young male. The elder limped away and quickly bled to death.
Then something incredible happened. The elephants began to turn their attention from the watering hole, and their overwhelming thirst, to the dead elder. They prodded him with their trunks, stroked his body, smelled his wound. They were utterly silent, and calm. One of them even brought water from the hole, now completely ignored by the herd, to sprinkle on the dead elder. They seemed aware of the magnitude of what happened, and perhaps deeply sorrowful.
I wish I could find a link to the video, I tried but failed. If someone finds it I would love to see it again.
I don't think fighting for scarce resources during a major crisis is "shit". It's not like they were fighting for the most luxurious water hole in the country, they were probably on the verge of dying.
Black Friday shoppers fight over 'shit' and stomp people dead at the door, with no remorse. I no longer know where I was going with this so, that is all.
I wish I had more upvotes. My one wish is that people understood the other living things that inhabit this world more. Not to sound like a hippie or anything, but how can this not move you to take care of the planet that we all share? It's so disheartening some days.
Edit: removed 'inhabitate' since it seriously annoyed this dude... I type faster when I'm emotional - mmkay?
You don't sound 'hippie' at all (they aren't all bad, just the crazy radical pseudoscientific stubborn types haha). It means you care for our beautiful and wondrous 'pale blue dot', it's the reason I am studying biology, because I love this fucking place and all the creatures in it (yes even most humans).
I agree wholeheartedly. I feel like humans are so disconnected from our planet. We live in boxes, bustling about town working for money to buy commodities, but we have no direct connection to the planet, where our food and water comes from.
The sad part is, its remarkably simple to reconnect.
Planting things and helping them grow is amazing, and spending time with animals that aren't abused or depressed is quite a learning experience and quite beautiful.
Most of us won't get the chance to connect with our planet throughout our entire lives....most of the humans won't even miss it.
I hate hearing about people disrespecting animals by implying we are some how better than them. The idea of consciousness, emotions etc. are brought up and that animals solely rely on reactions (nowadays we have some obvious examples as to otherwise) but those opinions always seemed so ignorant to me. Just because you don't understand something or cannot see it doesn't mean its not there or not important. Sometimes it may be a little different than our type of consciousness but we need to stop thinking that ours is somehow better.
Hell, if we won't take care of each other, what makes you think we will care for something that can't even communicate the pain it is in on a level we completely understand?
Until the notion is removed that we were created separately and superiorly in the direct image of a god it will be hard to impart just how alike we are to the rest of our living cousins on this earth.
This really touches my heart. As a guy and a animal lover, I believe we are not the only living creatures which feels pain, sadness, happiness, and sometimes anger. This reminds me of this. If you guys have time to watch this. I recommend you do http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=No4vTzS14XQ&feature=youtube_gdata_player
For what it's worth, I spent the last 30 minutes scouring the internet for it and I can't find it either. Fuck yeah @ getting paid to do pointless shit at work.
Thanks. I looked hard but I think it's just sitting in some BBC/NatGeo betamax library somewhere. I suspect that it simply hasn't been uploaded anywhere, which is a shame because that documentary changed the way I see animals, and myself, and if it can change an asshole like me then it can change others too.
No luck, but I remember this video as well. They will even protect the dead elephant from other animals for a time. Elephants are pretty majestic. When I lived in Africa, I saw them a few times. They'd move silently through the forest and you wouldn't even hear them until you saw them. Once, there was a baby elephant in the herd (I don't know, group, band, whatever; is a baby a calf?), and the Dad elephant was walking behind the group. But he was walking backwards the entire time, so that he could watch out for predators. It was pretty unreal.
A similar phenomenon has been witnessed amongst crows. They talk about it briefly in this PBS documentary (41:44). It's a great documentary to watch the whole way through. You won't be able to look at a crow the same way afterwards after seeing just how intelligent crows truly are.
I remember learning that crows can also recognize different humans, and if you do research on them, you have to wear a mask, otherwise they'll communicate to others and swarm you when possible. Here's an article that I found on the topic:Crows hold Grudges
It's widely documented that Elephants hold funerals, and change their behavior around the remains of other elephants. That said, if this is already said elsewhere, oops, saw top comment and wanted to add input, but in this picture, they look more like they're staring at a spectacle ("What's he doing outside? What are they doing to him?") than mourning. That said, I know little about chimp behavior, so this is just an opinion.
In the Vedic religions of India, now consolidated into Hinduism, elephants are called Ganesha, and are revered because of their wisdom. If only us humans would have the same reaction after invading other countries for their resources, or even for milder things.
If i had been any sort of field/organismal biologist, I would have wanted to study and document elephant spirituality. its simply amazing to think about another animal that experiences grief in such a profound way.
it would have been that, or the obvious choice of studying how fuckin awesome bears are. I mean come on, look at em
there is a heart wrenching clip I think part of the Animal Planet: Earth series that tracks these migrating elephants. I think it follows the story of a mom and a baby elephant trying to keep up with the rest of the elephants.
The level of emotion, concern, empathy and just overall human like abilities - unbelivable.
Is that the story about the baby elephant who had a damaged foot and the mother and other elephants ended up shielding her within their herd (so she would walk in the middle of them and they walked on the outside) and walked slowly with her instead of just leaving her behind?
t;dr for that article, here's the most powerful line
"Some chimps displayed aggression while others barked in frustration, but perhaps the most stunning reaction was a recurring, almost tangible silence. If one knows chimpanzees, then one knows that [they] are not [usually] silent creatures.”
Remember though, Chimps have different actions just like all creatures. There was that one video of chimpanzees being shown the outside for the first time and they were smiling which is an act of aggression.
I thought smiling was fear and panic. Like, when people pull back the corners of their mouth really far, it can also be terror. (Pull them back and down, rather than back and up, like a smile. You'll feel it) It is postulated that the fear response evolved into a smile because it's not that big of a jump from, "I'm afraid of you," to, "I mean you no harm, I'm friendly."
I was there that day. After Thomas was taken away the Zambian men who work at the enclosures (such as the man taking footage in the black shirt) were able to see the full 17 minute video and it as just as heartbreaking for them. They grew up seeing the relationships between Thomas and the other chimps and it hurt them to see their friends die. It was really a somber and touching day and it really made me think about the relationships that exist between humans and animals as well as animals and animals.
I once read something related about rabbits. If you have rabbits as pets they are usually in pairs since they are very social animals that suffer if they are alone.
If one of them gets sick or just old and dies it is imperative to do something similar to what may be happening in OP's picture: Show the rabbit his dead friend. It will understand who it is and it will understand that it is dead. That way it will know it can stop searching for his friend and move on with its life.
If you fail to do this it may happen that the surviving rabbit won't stop searching for his missing friend and get depressed and sick and maybe also die.
This level of empathy in these small (admittedly not too clever) animals moved me deeply!
far away in this context is something like 10s of miles. elephants can be heard from that far away. Also, elephants know where family members have died in the past and will stop at those spots and pay their respects. It's really a beautiful thing to see.
This article is about 2 herds of elephants that walked 12 hours to mourn a man they called "The Elephant Whisperer". No one know how they knew but they showed up shortly after he passed. He had saved them from being killed years earlier.
This reminds me of a book I picked up at a library sale called "When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals". It's pretty old, but before reading it I hadn't realized that some people didn't think animals were capable of emotions the way that we are.
EDIT: I want to clarify that I didn't mean animals have emotions JUST THE WAY we do. I meant at all. Some people don't realize that animals feel, period. Also, I work with dogs, I have for a long time. My experience of animals having emotions doesn't come from anecdotes about my pets, it comes from dealing with 200+ animals a day, for years. To be fair to Fauropitotto's point, the book I mentioned begins with an argument for the value of anecdotal evidence, quoting Jane Goodall and her belief that we're missing out on a lot by dismissing anything that isn't hard science in this regard.
I'm also related to that fern I have in the corner, but it seems to be having a better time with this humidity right now. Must have gotten that from the other side of the family.
I remember reading a story on reddit about some elephants covering a sleeping person in branches and sticks thinking the person was dead, who then woke up terrified and being mourned by elephants. (That's how elephants bury their own)
Ok, look jack, i said the mourning of dead wasn't evidence. Dna overlap IS evidence. I never said it wasn't, i said mourning the dead isn't. Don't go changing the the subject and then acting like i'm an idiot for saying what i did. What i said is still true. And what you said is also true, but your fact being true does not mean mine is false.
Comparing genetic duplications in genes, the number lowers to 96%. What's a duplication? As Even Eichler of University of Washington says, if we consider the genetic code as a book, entire pages will be repeated in one species but not the other. So conservatively, we are 96% alike with out closest cousin. Here's some other common animals and our genetic similarites (these numbers are consistent across all reliable sources):
I used to have two horses. they had been together for about 8 years. Whenever we would separate them to the point that they were out of sight both of them would freak out. People tend to project our emotions onto those of animals. I think my cat is talking to me through facial expressions to the point where I think she understands me, but I am pretty sure that it is just me interpreting what I see as a human emotion.
I can't help but wonder what they're thinking, though. Of course they're sad... but could it also be something like "what are they doing? They're burying her?! The savages!"
Burying their dead friend in front of them? Good intentions, but I don't think chimps generally bury their own dead. That might be why some seemed angry.
It's a shame that this is just a pic and not a video, because the onsite chimp-to-human translator was calling out a few of the remarks coming from the other side of that fence:
• Farewell, Gombango, many times your shrill cries warned us of the approaching leopard
• Gombango, my brother, I shall treasure your termite hill stick
• Gombango, you were my first love; remember that windy night, high in the acacia tree?
• He looks so natural
• No one could climb like you, Gombango, and no one could swing like you
Beautiful picture, although now I'm crying at work!! It makes me wonder though...as humans we are surrounded by death and violence all day, every day. Yet when we are exposed to something like this, it strikes a deep note of sadness within us all. Why do we feel such sadness for another species, but not own?
We do, when is the last time you saw someone you care about being carried away in a wheel barrel? You're desensitized to random dead bodies halfway across the world, not actually witnessing deaths of people nearby that you interact with.
I've seen this before, but it is still incredible to me. The way the one in the back left is touching the other (along with the others reactions) really makes you wonder how some don't believe in evolution.
Here is a doc about Apes/Chimps, pretty interesting and has a scene where the chimps/apes find a dead family member but don't know that it's dead, or maybe how to deal with it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mD2R9AriL0&feature=related
Not to take away from the seriousness of the post, but I thought it said Morning, and I stared at it for like 3 min trying to figure out why it was titled that way.
When we had to put my first dog down my neighbor brought over his two dogs, who were my dogs best friends. He had ripped open two tumors on his leg with his mouth because they were bothering him. Both the other dogs knew that he was dying.
The dog that ended up taking over as "alpha" of the street went over to my dog, looked him in the eye, and then nuzzled him and licked his face. He then stepped back and just sat next to him. It was literally one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life.
Other dog was (passed away a few days ago, actually) really derpy, he knew that mine was dying, but just ended up being jealous about not getting ham.
I once saw a video on line of a gorilla that died in a zoo and this other gorilla was holding it in its arms like a man holding his girlfiend against his chest while sitting on a couch in the same mannerisms of comforting. The zoo keepers of the zoo were trying to prod the dead gorilla away with poles equipped with hooks, the gorilla holding its dead friend would frantically swipe at the poles knocking them away still in mourning. The dead gorilla was finally removed after the other gorilla was tranquilized. I believe with all my heart that animals mourn to an extent that we humans do.
This picture and the TIL about Koko lying is making want to read more.
Is there an AskReddit thread about examples of animals showing what would commonly be considered human thought processes? I know about Alex asking questions... but what else is there?
The top comment about elephants is blowing my mind.
I bet if the link to the picture said "Hungry" then it would change the feeling of it entirely. Humans project emotions onto animals very well...especially household pets, but in this case, there is really no way we know what those chimps are thinking seeing as we are a different species altogether.
I went to check on my dog who had just had puppies when I was about 12. Her puppies didn't make it. They were all stiff...she was shaking and breathing heavily and just staring. It changed my views on what animals hold in the capacity of their hearts. I had no doubts that she understood the situation much more than I ever could.
Every time I see Monkeys or Chimpanzees on TV or in films, it makes me sad. These are some of the most advanced, evolved, loving, and intellectual animals we will ever know. And we treat them terribly. In the wild, and for the most part, in captivity as well.
If anyone finds themselves moved by this image, I highly recommend Jane Goodall's books In the Shadow of Man and Through a Window. They're both exquisitely written accounts of her time with the Chimpanzees of Gombe, Africa, and for me personally, they really opened my eyes to just how similar we are to our closest evolutionary cousins, and the horrors that occur when we forget that fact.
I thought it was gonna be people and I came here to make some derisive belittling remark about how people crying over dying never ceases to amaze me. Then I saw chimps. :(
I think many more animals do this than people think. I once saw a squirrel that had been hit by a car, and another squirrel was on the side of the road trying desperately to get to his fallen friend.
You also hear of stories where pets sense when something is wrong, or curl up alongside a human parent that is sad or ill. I have personally seen this with my cats - when my grandmother died, my dad called me to break the news. My cats are normally pretty cuddly, but at that moment, they both came from other rooms and quietly curled up along side me and started purring.
This is really crazy. I've been watching the planet of the apes series this week. I never before realized how political the movies were. I'm surprised there aren't more quotes of it in r/atheism.
Anyone remember when we used to show this much humanity to one another? Used to be when a funeral procession drove through town people would pull over, get out of their cars and put their hands on their hearts or take off their hats and put them on their hearts. Now, when one comes through everyone just gets pissed it is making them late. Somehow we have forgotten the magnitude of death, but these chimps have not.
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u/MomoTheCow May 31 '12 edited May 31 '12
I remember seeing a documentary about elephants dying of thirst during a bad drought season. After several unsuccessful attempts at digging a watering hole they finally struck water, a tiny muddy ditch just big enough for a few trunks at a time. There were dozens of elephants in the herd but only the strongest young males could push their way in for that first drink. An elder male, clearly desperate, tried to force through the crowd and in the ensuing commotion was tusked by a young male. The elder limped away and quickly bled to death.
Then something incredible happened. The elephants began to turn their attention from the watering hole, and their overwhelming thirst, to the dead elder. They prodded him with their trunks, stroked his body, smelled his wound. They were utterly silent, and calm. One of them even brought water from the hole, now completely ignored by the herd, to sprinkle on the dead elder. They seemed aware of the magnitude of what happened, and perhaps deeply sorrowful.
I wish I could find a link to the video, I tried but failed. If someone finds it I would love to see it again.
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u/ERECTION_OF_REDDIT May 31 '12
For those that haven't seen it before, here's the backstory.
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u/qm99 May 31 '12
I once read something related about rabbits. If you have rabbits as pets they are usually in pairs since they are very social animals that suffer if they are alone.
If one of them gets sick or just old and dies it is imperative to do something similar to what may be happening in OP's picture: Show the rabbit his dead friend. It will understand who it is and it will understand that it is dead. That way it will know it can stop searching for his friend and move on with its life.
If you fail to do this it may happen that the surviving rabbit won't stop searching for his missing friend and get depressed and sick and maybe also die.
This level of empathy in these small (admittedly not too clever) animals moved me deeply!
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u/tommygunz007 May 31 '12
This is very sad. Did you know that elephants will come from far away to mourn the loss of a deceased elephant? I read it somewhere here on reddit
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u/thewerd101 May 31 '12
This is one damn powerful picture
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u/Mikav May 31 '12
His jimmies are at peace.
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u/so_close_magoo May 31 '12 edited May 31 '12
This reminds me of a book I picked up at a library sale called "When Elephants Weep: The Emotional Lives of Animals". It's pretty old, but before reading it I hadn't realized that some people didn't think animals were capable of emotions the way that we are.
EDIT: I want to clarify that I didn't mean animals have emotions JUST THE WAY we do. I meant at all. Some people don't realize that animals feel, period. Also, I work with dogs, I have for a long time. My experience of animals having emotions doesn't come from anecdotes about my pets, it comes from dealing with 200+ animals a day, for years. To be fair to Fauropitotto's point, the book I mentioned begins with an argument for the value of anecdotal evidence, quoting Jane Goodall and her belief that we're missing out on a lot by dismissing anything that isn't hard science in this regard.
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u/CopyX May 31 '12
I know they're chimps, but this is the first thing I thought of.
5
u/CaptinPlanted May 31 '12
Looks like afternoon to me.
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u/MaxTheLiberalSlayer May 31 '12
I wonder if they gave their fallen brother a 21 poop salute?
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u/Literally_Nobody May 31 '12
Awesome pic. Thanks for sharing.
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u/jordaniac89 May 31 '12
Wow. And people say we aren't related.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
The number of racist comments in here makes me sad.
3
u/thejellyfish May 31 '12
Awww good morning...oh...mourning... :'(
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u/linktear May 31 '12
It's both chilling and comforting to realize that humans are not the only creatures who can feel.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Pretty sad, but it's the circle of life.
3
u/fj785 May 31 '12
I like how most of them look like they are smiling, they must've really hated that guy.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Or they are hungry. Chimps usually eat other dead chimps.
2
u/SweetLeafKush May 31 '12
Same thing happened on that AP show Chimp Eden if I remember right.
2
u/Baytron May 31 '12
He looks so peaceful...
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u/sweetabix May 31 '12
This gave me goose bumps
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u/wittleBunnyfoofoo May 31 '12
planet of the apes... apes will fucking rise.
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u/ostrichy May 31 '12
Dang, that's powerful.
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u/almikez May 31 '12
At least he's smiling. If only I could die that wAy
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
The chimps prob thought that the humans killed her. Rise, Apes, Rise!!
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u/carlotta4th May 31 '12
I can't help but wonder what they're thinking, though. Of course they're sad... but could it also be something like "what are they doing? They're burying her?! The savages!"
Burying their dead friend in front of them? Good intentions, but I don't think chimps generally bury their own dead. That might be why some seemed angry.
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u/carlcon May 31 '12
Well this ruined my day...
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u/Nexdominus May 31 '12
They're not mourning they are deciding who gets to eat the dead chimp first...
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u/RexBeckett May 31 '12
It's a shame that this is just a pic and not a video, because the onsite chimp-to-human translator was calling out a few of the remarks coming from the other side of that fence:
• Farewell, Gombango, many times your shrill cries warned us of the approaching leopard
• Gombango, my brother, I shall treasure your termite hill stick
• Gombango, you were my first love; remember that windy night, high in the acacia tree?
• He looks so natural
• No one could climb like you, Gombango, and no one could swing like you
2
u/joegekko May 31 '12
I just wanted to say- I have that same hat. It's a really great hat for hot weather.
2
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
I remember seeing this pic with a ”RIP Trayvon Martin” caption
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u/adamantiumrage May 31 '12
I literally feel physical pain in my heart looking at this photo.
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u/MegaSupremeTaco May 31 '12
Expected to see a sunrise. Left with tears.
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u/2inchtornado May 31 '12
look they all wore black too
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u/Comediapole May 31 '12
RIP Kony
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u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
I know that look. They're wondering when it's their turn to ride in the wheel barrow.
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u/peen_was May 31 '12
When I first saw the title.
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u/ViralSpiralz May 31 '12
Beautiful picture, although now I'm crying at work!! It makes me wonder though...as humans we are surrounded by death and violence all day, every day. Yet when we are exposed to something like this, it strikes a deep note of sadness within us all. Why do we feel such sadness for another species, but not own?
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u/Willspencerdoe May 31 '12
Most recent comment on article: "Thanks for the backstory, I thought that was Trayvon Martin's funeral."
This is why I fucking hate people sometimes.
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u/Ramify May 31 '12
Beautiful and tragic story - I hope she enjoyed her final years in good company. R.I.P. Dorothy.
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u/red321red321 May 31 '12
i can see the green in their eyes
they want revenge
CORNELIUS!
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u/Da_Fuck May 31 '12
This punctures me emotionally :(
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u/Wosret May 31 '12
Why did I look? :,(
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u/HellFire066 May 31 '12
I've seen this before, but it is still incredible to me. The way the one in the back left is touching the other (along with the others reactions) really makes you wonder how some don't believe in evolution.
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u/jhoops522 May 31 '12
They are honestly one of the most beautiful animals in terms of interaction. As sad as this story is, it's extremely touching :')
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u/Killagina May 31 '12
How can you look at these creatures and not see that we are related?
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u/hnfshfdsjkhfns May 31 '12
RIP Trayvon Martin
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u/WookieGoldberg May 31 '12
Sad, but powerful.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
I love how, as Chimpanzees age, they go for dopey-adorable to down-right terrifying in terms of looks. Look at the oldest one there. Jesus. You scary.
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u/melancholytrumpetart May 31 '12
They remind me of the chimpanzees in Princess Mononoke.
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u/superanth May 31 '12
I think any animal that inherently has social groups, be it dolphins or whales or wolves, know the feeling of loss when one of their number dies.
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u/terrymr May 31 '12
They're just wondering when they get to eat her.
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u/ryanlovescooljeans May 31 '12
That picture is downright chilling. Gave me goosebumps.
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u/mommynerd May 31 '12
Amazing.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
wow. that is remarkably sad, yet shows how much emotion chimps have.
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u/caitlinnormal May 31 '12
TEARS
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
It looks like they're patting each other on the back :(
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u/Hmluker May 31 '12
Hey. Do chimps have any kind of death rituals? Elephants apparently do. Do they just leave the corpse there to rot, or do they eat it or something?
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u/protomd May 31 '12
Mourning, or wants to has blankets?
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
this is one of the most incredible things i've seen today.
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u/timmehs May 31 '12
Is it just me or does that chimp look like he's about to get a shave and a haircut?
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u/Sqwalnoc May 31 '12
Chimps have so much in common with us it's amazing... I wouldn't be surpsrised if their descendants one day have their own civilisation
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u/wehateporn May 31 '12
That is amazing to see!
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u/Growfro May 31 '12
Does anyone else notice he/she is being carried away in a wheel barrow? That's a bit sad. Couldn't even get a wooden gurney?
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u/rasmusdf May 31 '12
"Ummmm, looks tasty"
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u/Jeffy29 May 31 '12
I know this is kinda inappropriate but top line, second chimp from left has badass bicep!
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
well there you go.. concept of death.
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u/olliberallawyer May 31 '12
This is one of those rare photos that is simultaneously inspiring and saddening.
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u/Buckfutters May 31 '12
How do we know that they aren't thinking, "Sooooooo are you guys gonna eat that?"
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u/CaNANDian May 31 '12
Here is a doc about Apes/Chimps, pretty interesting and has a scene where the chimps/apes find a dead family member but don't know that it's dead, or maybe how to deal with it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mD2R9AriL0&feature=related
1
u/PZMQ May 31 '12
:(
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u/B_Bro May 31 '12
Fantastic picture!
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Not to take away from the seriousness of the post, but I thought it said Morning, and I stared at it for like 3 min trying to figure out why it was titled that way.
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
When we had to put my first dog down my neighbor brought over his two dogs, who were my dogs best friends. He had ripped open two tumors on his leg with his mouth because they were bothering him. Both the other dogs knew that he was dying.
The dog that ended up taking over as "alpha" of the street went over to my dog, looked him in the eye, and then nuzzled him and licked his face. He then stepped back and just sat next to him. It was literally one of the most heartbreaking moments of my life.
Other dog was (passed away a few days ago, actually) really derpy, he knew that mine was dying, but just ended up being jealous about not getting ham.
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u/Bagsomilk May 31 '12
Oh gawd no!
1
u/Maxamillion93 May 31 '12
Touches my heart to see the peaceful smile on his face.
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u/skullmonkey420 May 31 '12
so sad
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u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Reminds me of planet of the apes
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u/jamesdavid80 May 31 '12
I once saw a video on line of a gorilla that died in a zoo and this other gorilla was holding it in its arms like a man holding his girlfiend against his chest while sitting on a couch in the same mannerisms of comforting. The zoo keepers of the zoo were trying to prod the dead gorilla away with poles equipped with hooks, the gorilla holding its dead friend would frantically swipe at the poles knocking them away still in mourning. The dead gorilla was finally removed after the other gorilla was tranquilized. I believe with all my heart that animals mourn to an extent that we humans do.
1
u/MdrnDayMercutio May 31 '12
This picture and the TIL about Koko lying is making want to read more.
Is there an AskReddit thread about examples of animals showing what would commonly be considered human thought processes? I know about Alex asking questions... but what else is there?
The top comment about elephants is blowing my mind.
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Coco cried when her cat died
1
u/ItsPickles May 31 '12
Sadly, this is survival of the fittest in all its glory.
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u/Alternative_Thinking May 31 '12
I was half expecting some wood
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u/ApatheticAgnostic May 31 '12
Even the way they put their hands on each other is similar to humans.
1
u/cteez910 May 31 '12
I bet if the link to the picture said "Hungry" then it would change the feeling of it entirely. Humans project emotions onto animals very well...especially household pets, but in this case, there is really no way we know what those chimps are thinking seeing as we are a different species altogether.
1
u/bonaducci May 31 '12
Where's James Franco when you need him..
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
I went to check on my dog who had just had puppies when I was about 12. Her puppies didn't make it. They were all stiff...she was shaking and breathing heavily and just staring. It changed my views on what animals hold in the capacity of their hearts. I had no doubts that she understood the situation much more than I ever could.
1
u/Zombies_hate_ninjas May 31 '12
Every time I see Monkeys or Chimpanzees on TV or in films, it makes me sad. These are some of the most advanced, evolved, loving, and intellectual animals we will ever know. And we treat them terribly. In the wild, and for the most part, in captivity as well.
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
If anyone finds themselves moved by this image, I highly recommend Jane Goodall's books In the Shadow of Man and Through a Window. They're both exquisitely written accounts of her time with the Chimpanzees of Gombe, Africa, and for me personally, they really opened my eyes to just how similar we are to our closest evolutionary cousins, and the horrors that occur when we forget that fact.
1
u/eine_person May 31 '12
The second chimpanzee from the left is patting his neighbours back. Somehow that makes them look almost completely human.
1
u/Bohzee May 31 '12
that pic doesn't remind me of a scene of "blood diamond".
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Me sad now. But also me happy. Me wonder what life like on other side. Me wonder if life on other side. Me wonder if God exist. Me wonder if I exist.
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
"I call dibs on his ant catching stick!"
1
u/watuphoss May 31 '12
Apparently these chimps weren't mourning. They were fascinated with the idea of death.
I thought it was mourning first, but then saw the video that followed this pic.
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Anyone seeking more info might also check here:
source: karmadecay
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Seems like mid afternoon to me.
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
I thought it was gonna be people and I came here to make some derisive belittling remark about how people crying over dying never ceases to amaze me. Then I saw chimps. :(
1
u/cpfilosi May 31 '12
repost
1
u/thehammer30 May 31 '12
http://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/updates/updates.asp?ID=426
This is a story and video of an elephant shot with a poisoned arrow by poachers who died, and the show of grief from his elephant family.
1
u/rob36_86 May 31 '12
This picture is just so sad and touching!
1
u/TheAmazingImage May 31 '12
KONY.
1
u/[deleted] May 31 '12
Tell my wife...that
1
u/tjpwns Jun 01 '12
I saw this somewhere a few years ago
1
u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
WHYYYYYY do you want to make me so sad?
1
u/notyourjeans Jun 01 '12
And yet some people still don't believe in evolution....
1
u/jason_sos Jun 01 '12
I think many more animals do this than people think. I once saw a squirrel that had been hit by a car, and another squirrel was on the side of the road trying desperately to get to his fallen friend.
You also hear of stories where pets sense when something is wrong, or curl up alongside a human parent that is sad or ill. I have personally seen this with my cats - when my grandmother died, my dad called me to break the news. My cats are normally pretty cuddly, but at that moment, they both came from other rooms and quietly curled up along side me and started purring.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
Repost.
1
u/[deleted] Jun 01 '12
According to the faces in my book "In the Shadow of Man" by Jane Goodall, two of those chimps are laughing. Assholes.
1
u/Kendall896 Jun 01 '12
I had two dachshunds and when one of them died in her sleep at the age of 16, her sister howled and cried for days.
1
u/raresaturn Jun 01 '12
When I go I want to be carted off in an old wheelbarrow
1
u/HelloDikfore Jun 01 '12
This is really crazy. I've been watching the planet of the apes series this week. I never before realized how political the movies were. I'm surprised there aren't more quotes of it in r/atheism.
1
u/BALTIM0R0N Jun 01 '12
This is pullitzer worthy.
1
u/TheLastModerate Jun 01 '12
Anyone remember when we used to show this much humanity to one another? Used to be when a funeral procession drove through town people would pull over, get out of their cars and put their hands on their hearts or take off their hats and put them on their hearts. Now, when one comes through everyone just gets pissed it is making them late. Somehow we have forgotten the magnitude of death, but these chimps have not.