Tuesday

We have much in common with wolves, coyotes, red foxes, and domestic dogs. These social species — and other animals — have emotional lives, can experience emotions such as joy and grief. That's Marc Bekoff's conclusion after many years of studying these animals.

 In his book, "The Emotional Lives of Animals," Bekoff writes that while animals may experience emotions that humans can't understand, we can understand many of their feelings. Observing is the key to understanding. Bekoff observes, for example, that wolves "have more varied facial expressions, and that they use these expressions to communicate their emotional states to others. Wolf tails are more expressive, and wolves use more tail positions than do dogs or coyotes to express their emotions."

Such body language revealed the grief a pack of wolves felt after losing a low-ranking female. He describes how the grieving animals lost their spirit and playfulness. How they no longer howled as a group, but rather sang alone in a slow mournful cry. How they held their heads and tails low and walked softly and slowly when they came upon the place where a mountain lion had killed their pack mate.

If wolves and coyotes experience many of the emotions that humans feel, can they also become mentally impaired? Bekoff asks and answers this intriguing question. "Because there are autistic humans, there likely are nonhuman animals who suffer from what might be called autism." He concludes that since many psychological disorders have been diagnosed in dogs, "there's no reason why this couldn't be true for their wild relatives." He describes a coyote and a wolf that exhibited what might be called bipolar behavior.


Bekoff also believes there is "honor among beasts," As he puts it: "Based on my long-term detailed studies of play in social carnivores — including wolves, coyotes, red foxes, and domestic dogs — I believe we can make the stronger claim that some animals might be moral beings."

If we believe that animals can experience emotions such as grief, can become mentally impaired, and can be moral beings, then, as Bekoff writes, we must make sure that our actions match our beliefs. He says that when he talks to researchers who conduct invasive research or to people who work on factory farms, he asks them: "Would you do that to your dog?" He says that some people are startled by this question, but that it's an important one to ask.

Once we believe that animals other than ourselves — animals such as wolves and coyotes – have emotional lives we must relate to those creatures in a certain way. We must, as Bekoff says, "treat other beings with respect, appreciation, compassion, and love. There's no doubt whatsoever that, when it comes to what we can and cannot do to other animals, it's their emotions that should inform our actions on their behalf, and we can always do more for them."

Article Source: Rick Lamplugh - wolf advocate

Responses to "Wolves And Coyotes Feel Sadness And Grieve Like Humans "

  1. Anonymous says:

    I had a hamster as a child, who I could see was deeply depressed, as he had lost his mum to our family cat, and his siblings (more sociable) had been re-homed. Every day seemed like hell for my little brown hamster, I had such empathy for him, and when he died, I was relieved his suffering was over. I loved him, but he was too damaged to know it. Hamsters are deep creatures too.

  2. ZuniMaya says:

    The animals are our soulmates

  3. Anonymous says:

    After my brother died, our family dog was never the same. He was getting older, but he knew something was off, someone was missing. My brother didn't live at home but it was the last place our dog knew him plus he picked up on my parents' grief and even ran away. But when we found him he was on the cemetery property.

  4. Unknown says:

    Thank you for this amazing article which will help me with my English homework which is to create a speech to tell the class. I'm not at all confident, but wolves mean alot to me, and make me feel more comfortable which will help so thanks!!!!

  5. Anonymous says:

    When I saw the headline I thought it was a satirical piece from The Onion. Anyone who has a dog understands they experience grief and sadness. The dog I have now was an emotional blank after the dog she grew up with died. I took 6 months for her to finally find a new buddy.

  6. pilvikki says:

    why isn't this taught in schools? why is it still debated? it really is obvious, but only if you stop to think, observe, and set one's oversized ego aside.

    i just don't get how ignorant some people choose to remain...

  7. Jerry says:

    I have thought this about animals for a very long time and feel very close to them because of it.

  8. Anonymous says:

    Thank you for writing this

  9. Anonymous says:

    Some teachers do teach this....yet, we must still be careful as many parents don't. Teaching children to have empathy begins with how we treat all sentient beings.

  10. Unknown says:

    Imagine all the grief in the dairy industry where the calf who was carried in pregnancy for as long as a human is carried, is taken away from his mother in the first days after birth. Both the mother and child grieve openly for weeks.

  11. Morgana says:

    Whoever thinks the opposite is idiot. z

  12. Unknown says:

    I have always known, felt and believed. Plus, for years have experienced so much straight-forward love and emotion with my dogs...I have a natural empathy for animals in general...the wolf just happens to be my favorite animal. I guess they can also sense what a human feels towards them?

  13. Unknown says:

    of course they are,they are more family orientated than humans

  14. Unknown says:

    I have a wolf, she is turning 6 years old this month.. She is an amazing being. You can look in her eyes and just see the intelligence. I also have a German Shepard. Both can sense when my wife or I are emotional upset about something. There have been times I have been depressed and just laying on my bed, my wolf with jump on the bed and driver her nose under my right arm pit and go as far as she can, and then just lay there with her body really close to mine.. and after a while she will pull her nose back and rub her paw from her forehead down over her eye which is her way of asking me to scratch her eye and nose for her. She always ensures that if I am feeling down, she spends bonding time with me and encourages me to interact with her. When it is 6:30 pm every night, she comes to me and looks at me because it is dinner time. She doesn't act crazy, she just patiently waits for me.. She is so very smart.. and loving.. it is amazing... She as a large part of my journey in realizing how sentient other beings on this planet are. I have been starting to call them beings because calling them animals. or pets.. just seems less and less accurate..

  15. maria says:

    People must be taught to respect these animals!

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