It happened tonight. Two raccoons were crossing a busy street in Toronto and one of them was hit by a car. The other stayed on the scene. It began running in circles and crying, almost oblivious to people and cars that gathered around. Then it approached its friend and began shaking it vigorously, as if urging it to: "Get up! Get up!" Cars were honking impatiently, people were yelling at the raccoon to get off the road, afraid for its life. It just couldn't leave its friend. Finally they chased it away...
From an article by Dr. Marc Bekoff in Psychology Today: "There is no doubt that many animals experience rich and deep emotions... Grieving and mourning clearly show that nonhuman animals are socially aware of what is happening in their worlds and that they feel deep emotions when family and friends die."
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