I don’t think we’ve yet come near to fully understanding the emotional ranges of some animals, to comprehending how they think and feel, the joy they can experience and the sadness that can weigh them down.
Even so, we know that most animals will go through emotions at least in the same way we do. Their pain is just as real, their happiness just as sweet, their grief just as bitter.
New heartbreaking footage has emerged showing a monkey carrying and grooming her stillborn baby in Olifants West, South Africa.
The clip, captured by Tracey Mobley while she was studying for her field guide qualification, showed the mom in the process of trying to engage her deceased baby. The scene became even more distressing when, after several days, the baby began to decompose.
Tracey explained: “It was very sad and empathetic, she looked forlorn as if she was grieving and she kept trying to put it into a tree as if encouraging it to move and hold on, it was very distressing to watch.
“It was just very moving and we had many discussions relating it to when a human gives birth to a stillborn and just how little time they have with it to mourn.
“She was clearly trying to engage a reaction from the baby. To start with she clung to it at all times and then gradually started to carry it in her hand and left it from time to time, and then she would carry it in her mouth in order to make full use of all of her limbs like when she would climb trees etc.”
According to sources, it’s not uncommon for primates to cling on to their dead babies for long periods after they have passed.
Such a sad turn of events. My heart goes out to this poor mama.
Share this article if you think there’s nothing like the bond between a mom and her child.
