Animal Grief

The idea that animals have feelings of any kind -let alone the ability to grieve- remains highly controversial. A combination of philosophical dogma and human arrogance had prevented any serious rational debate on the subject over the course of many centuries. Science provides some remarkable insights into animal behaviour, with crocodiles, for example, emerging as devoted parents, and elephants - like whales - able to communicate with each other across long distances by ultrasound. This title contends that emotions - including grief - can potentially have a survival value for a species.