Part 1 of 3: Do Animals Feel Grief?
- Teju Vishwamitra
- Sep 14
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 15
What is grief? Experts explain that grief is an emotional, mental, and physical response to loss, most commonly associated with death but also encompassing other life changes such as the end of a powerful relationship, prolonged illness, loss of personal belongings, or a combination of any of these. It is a natural reaction of our brain as a defense mechanism against a loss, is deeply personal, and can manifest itself differently for everyone. However, while intense, with the passage of time, grief starts diminishing and may disappear altogether for most people.
What about animals? We know about and have experienced animal grief around us such as with our dogs, cats, horses, goats, or friendships with wild animals around our homes, and that they too have feelings just like us. They feel happy, joy, confused, sad, and all the different emotions we experience, including grief.
But what about wild animals? It may be hard to believe for some that they also have similar traits, including grief. And just like domestic animals, the way they exhibit their grief is different among different species too.
Did you know that animals that live in groups or packs such as elephants and wolves show the most advanced expressions in the way they show grief? For instance, primates like gorillas, chimpanzees, and both New-World and Old-World monkeys which live in troops show many emotional characteristics such as grief in the most human like manner, especially the apes. Of course, one main reason is that apes such as the chimpanzees have DNA that is close to 99% of human DNA. Thus, they exhibit grief in a very humanlike manner.
Elephants live in herds consisting of many individuals and so have extremely strong bonds among themselves. If one of them dies, the whole herd grieves. It has been observed that, incredibly, in Africa, among a mix of rhino, buffalo, and elephant bones, elephants picked only the elephant skull bone and lovingly caressed it all around with their trunk for several days, ignoring all the other bones.
On the other hand, wild cats such as tigers, lions, leopards, and many smaller cats in the wild are solitary creatures. A male and a female come together only to mate, and they depart. It is the mother who then takes care of the baby until it is weaned. Therefore, cats do not exhibit their grief in any profound manner. However, they too exhibit it albeit in a different way. Cats do not show grief like primates or elephants, but the emotion expresses itself by subtle changes in their behavior. Examples include loss of appetite, constantly meowing or crying, searching for a lost mate, over or under grooming and less interaction with others.
As far as wild cats are concerned, the following are a few observations:
Social behavior changes: Wild cats like lions or cheetahs may exhibit changes in their social interactions. For example, a dominant male lion might show less interest in his pride after the loss of a close companion.
Reduced hunting: Studies suggest that wild cats may alter their hunting patterns or reduce their activity levels, indicating a possible decrease in motivation or increased anxiety related to the loss.
Vocalizations: Wild cats might also change their vocalizations or become more solitary, depending on the species and the social structure of the group.
DID YOU KNOW?
About 80% of gorillas and Old-World primate moms carry their dead infant from a few hours, days, weeks to even several months, depending on many factors such as their age, environmental conditions, the age of the infant at death, and the cause of death. For example, younger mothers may carry their infants longer, and infants who die from illness may be carried for longer periods than those who die from traumatic injuries.
Researchers propose several hypotheses to explain this behavior, including the "grief management hypothesis," suggesting mothers carry their infants to cope with the loss, and the "social bonds hypothesis," highlighting the strong bond between mothers and infants. The "unawareness hypothesis," suggesting mothers may not fully recognize death, is less likely, as mothers treat dead infants differently from live ones.
Yes, cats can grieve when they lose another cat in the household. While the extent and expression of grief can vary among individual cats, many show signs of distress like those seen in humans. But encouragingly, in the 160 households surveyed, all pets that lost a companion were behaving normally within six months.
Apart from horses smelling for adrenaline or endorphins, they utilize a combination of cues to determine the state of a deceased companion, which may include:
Absence of normal behavior: The lack of movement, breathing, and other typical behaviors associated with life.
Olfactory cues related to decomposition: As a body decomposes, it releases specific odors that horses can detect.
Behavioral responses from other horses: The reactions of other horses in the herd to the deceased animal can also influence individual horses' perceptions.
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