How Animals Grieve - by Barbara J King (Paperback)

About the Book

For years, we have assumed that among the most fundamental lines between humans and other animals is the way we respond to death. But with videos of scrub jay funerals, accounts of elephant mourning, and baboon's carrying their dead, the science of animal grief has opened the proverbial floodgates. And there is no better guide to the kingdom of animal grief and mourning than Barbara King. In this book she takes us to the Serengeti, to duck farms, and sanctuaries, and into the homes and hearts of those who have watched their pets mourn loss. The stories and science she shares range from chimpanzees to sea turtles, to horses and dogs, and her compassion and curiosity bring to life a range of emotions, in the animals and in those who will read this book. The human experience of grief may still be unique, but this book shows that around loss lies yet another connection between us and the living world around us.
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Book Synopsis

From the time of our earliest childhood encounters with animals, we casually ascribe familiar emotions to them. But scientists have long cautioned against such anthropomorphizing, arguing that it limits our ability to truly comprehend the lives of other creatures. Recently, however, things have begun to shift in the other direction, and anthropologist Barbara J. King is at the forefront of that movement, arguing strenuously that we can-and should-attend to animal emotions. With How Animals Grieve, she draws our attention to the specific case of grief, and relates story after story-from fieldsites, farms, homes, and more-of animals mourning lost companions, mates, or friends. King tells of elephants surrounding their matriarch as she weakens and dies, and, in the following days, attending to her corpse as if holding a vigil. A housecat loses her sister, from whom she's never before been parted, and spends weeks pacing the apartment, wailing plaintively. A baboon loses her daughter to a predator and sinks into grief. In each case, King uses her anthropological training to interpret and try to explain what we see-to help us understand this animal grief properly, as something neither the same as nor wholly different from the human experience of loss. The resulting book is both daring and down-to-earth, strikingly ambitious even as it's careful to acknowledge the limits of our understanding. Through the moving stories she chronicles and analyzes so beautifully, King brings us closer to the animals with whom we share a planet, and helps us see our own experiences, attachments, and emotions as part of a larger web of life, death, love, and loss.

Review Quotes

"A series of heartwarming tales demonstrating the existence of a love stronger than death between animals. . . . King makes no claims about whether animals comprehend death, but she does assert that they feel grief--because they care about and bond to one another, 'because of a heart's certainty that another's presence is as necessary as air.' In support of this hypothesis, she offers touching accounts of responses to death in every corner of the animal kingdom, from the big-brained megafauna (primates, elephants, whales) to the domesticated crowd-pleasers (cats, dogs, horses) to the completely surprising (chickens)."--Kathryn Schulz "The New Yorker"

"How Animals Grieve flows over with stories that will tug at your heartstrings. . . . A compelling and thought-provoking book. To my mind, King leaves little doubt that we are not alone in experiencing grief, even if the details differ between species. . . . If books by Carl Safina, Frans de Waal, or Marc Bekoff resonate with you, this book will too."-- "The Inquisitive Biologist"

"How Animals Grieve . . . collects anecdotal and scientific data on grief in many kinds of animals, even some that most researchers ignore, such as rabbits, goats, and turtles. . . . As King points out in her book, there are enough examples of grief in species as varied as goats, baboons, and gorillas that the emotion may be an experience shared by many species. If so, then it must have an evolutionary history and confer some benefit--that is, it must be advantageous in some way, enabling the mourner to survive long enough to reproduce and pass his or her genes to the next generation."--Virginia Morell "Lapham's Quarterly"

"A comprehensive synthesis of animal mourning research. . . . King says that over the past few years animal-grief research has 'exploded'--part of a larger 'animal turn' among academics who advocate broadening the range of lives and cultures that are studied."--Barry Yeoman "National Wildlife"

"King attempts to walk the tightrope of scientific rigor while accepting that non-human animals can have emotions. . . . She has written a challenging book that implies big questions about who we are and how we choose to live."--Simon Barnes "Times"

"King writes convincingly about the capacity of animals to feel. In the introduction alone, we learn that though elephants and chimps are the gold standard when it comes to animal feeling, chickens, goats, bunnies, and ducks have their verklempt moments."--Sarah Murdoch "Toronto Star"

"Makes a powerful case for the presence of love, affection, and grief in animals--from a house cat mourning her lost sister to elephants who pay respects to the bones of their matriarchs."--Petra Mayer "NPR"

"The question that a work like this forces one to ask is, if the loss of a companion through separation or death does cause intense emotional suffering in nonhuman animals, what right have we to inflict that loss upon them? . . . If we have any empathy for nonhuman animals, then we must take seriously their experiences of suffering and grief and do what we can to minimize, or even eliminate, the human activities that cause animals to grieve."--Jennifer Brown "Journal of Animal Ethics"

"Through stories of creatures that have lost family members or partners, an anthropologist discusses what is known about grief among animals."-- "Science News"

"Touching and provocative."--Kari Weil "Washington Post"

"How Animals Grieve is not the definitive work on animal grief, but rather a stepping-stone to further investigation, observation and understanding. King hopes others will continue to look with fresh eyes, expand our knowledge and better understand all animals." -- "Shelf Awareness"

"Humans and other animals experience love and fear, and form deep emotional bonds with cherished companions. We mourn when a close friend dies, and so do other animals, as Barbara King's poignant book illustrates in compelling detail. How Animals Grieve helps us to connect and to better understand the complex social lives of other animals and of ourselves."

--Gene Baur, president and cofounder of Farm Sanctuary

"In this deeply moving and beautifully composed treatise that is sure to anger some, but inspire many, Barbara King methodically presents her powerful evidence that many animals possess thoughts, feelings and emotions, including the profound sense of loss following the death of a family member or close companion. Consider, for example, the female dolphin who carries her dead calf for several days, loath to part with her beloved child. What else is she doing but grieving? It might be a controversial, minority viewpoint that some animals mourn the death of others, but King's profound and well-documented work has left me firmly in her camp."

--David Kirby, author of Death at Sea World

"A beautifully written book that will appeal to animal lovers."-- "Booklist"

"Admirably, carefully, and cautiously reviews and synthesizes a topic that is of great interest to numerous people, including those who are fortunate enough to live with nonhuman companions, those who are lucky enough to study them, and those who are interested in other animals for a wide variety of reasons." --Marc Bekoff "Psychology Today"

"King makes a compelling case for the rich and deep emotional lives of other animals."-- "PETA"

"King's thoughtful, warm-hearted prose will raise awareness and amaze readers." -- "Publishers Weekly"

"Let me begin by saying I recommend this book to anyone who doubts that animals grieve. The evidence presented is overwhelming." -- "EcoLit"

"Barbara J. King has pulled together anecdotal and scientific data on grief and love in animals in her excellent book How Animals Grieve. With her engaging story telling she opens up our eyes to the possible inner lives of some surprising species. We expect big-brained chimpanzees and elephants to express their feelings, but her tales of rabbits, goats, birds, turtles and others force us to look again at the emotional content of animal lives."--Cynthia Moss, author of Elephant Memories: Thirteen Years in the Life of an Ele

"I must admit that I was skeptical that an entire book could be written on the subject of animal grief, because the scientific literature in this area is so painfully thin. But Barbara King has succeeded beautifully. She has collected an incredible database of stories about various kinds of animals, and taken together they offer more than enough substance to sustain this book. It is as if she has created a mosaic for her reader. She has collected bits and pieces--individual stories about one animal or another--which by themselves might be little but trifles. But King pastes them together with masterful skill, and the result is a compelling picture of animal grief. We get the feeling that there are still a lot of blank spaces on the canvas, as our scientific understanding is far from complete, but it is only a matter of time before these spaces will begin to fill in. How Animals Grieve is a fascinating book which will interest and inform animal lovers and scientists alike."--Jessica Pierce, author of The Last Walk

"Poignant, thoughtful, and sometimes heartbreaking. King once again elevates the discussion of animal emotion. She tackles a tricky subject with a scientist's care and an animal lover's grace."
--Jennifer Holland, author of Unlikely Friendships

About the Author

Barbara J. King is professor of anthropology at the College of William and Mary. She is the author or editor of many books, including Being with Animals. She blogs regularly for National Public Radio and reviews for the Times Literary Supplement.