We’re not the only animals that appear to grieve. What are the implications?

Name: We’re not the only animals that appear to grieve. What are the implications? | Aeon Videos
Uploaded: 2024-09-12
Duration: 6 min
Description: When animals seem to grieve for their dead, such as staying with them for days, is it anthropomorphism or something more?

Following the death of relatives or members of their group, many nonhuman animals act in abnormal ways. From a human perspective, these unusual behaviours, such as staying with the dead for days, can resemble something like grief. But is this a case of projection, or simply in line with decades of scientific research eroding the idea of human exceptionalism? Taking viewers through a series of fascinating examples and studies, this TED-Ed animation brushes up against the edges of our current understanding of grief in nonhuman animals, as well as the ethical implications that these limits have for how we treat animals today.

Video by TED-Ed

Writer: Barbara J King

Director: Denis Chapon

Website: The Animation Workshop

12 September 2024

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