At long last, scientists and animal advocates are finally recognizing that animals have strong emotions. They feel grief, joy, sadness, excitement, and most of all, love. They are extremely compassionate and unconditional of all species by nature.
A few nights ago I watched a PBS special called "Nature: Animal Odd Couples". The documentary showed that love apparently knows no boundaries in the animal kingdom. The couples from the wild featured on the show were quite remarkable.
Despite the odds, there were stories of the most unlikely cross-species relationships imaginable: a goat guiding a blind horse; a doe's regular visits to her Great Dane surrogate mother; a juvenile gibbon choosing to live with a family of capuchins, a lion and a coyote as playmates, a goose as best friend and protector for a tortoise, and so on. Instincts gone awry? This subject has mystified scientists for years. The film investigates why animals form these special bonds. Informed by the observations of caregivers and noted scientists Temple Grandin and Marc Bekoff, the film explores what these relationships suggest about the nature of animal emotions.
As we humans grieve for our loved ones, so do animals grieve for the companions they have lost. There was a beautiful story of a goat who took care of his horse friend who had first gone blind in one eye, then the other. The goat was the eyes of his horse friend as the horse's illness progressed. When the horse passed away, the goat grieved for his friend for quite some time. Elephants are known for their intense grieving and need for ceremony after their friends have passed away. They have a circling and bellowing ritual they do to honor their deceased.
I was so impressed by the beautiful creatures in the film, their love for each other and their openness to fun, joy, play, adventure and love. These creatures didn't care if they looked alike, if they ate the same food, or were the same size; companionship and love surpassed all. Below is a famous you-tube video of the great friendship of an elephant and a dog.
Many of us don't need to look far to see evidence of the benefits of cross-species companionship. Our cats, dogs, birds, fish, hamsters, and others can all get along just fine without our help. They make their own fun together if they feel lonely, bored, adventurous, or just need companionship. Perhaps human genders, races, and political parties could learn from their example! If they can do it, why can't we?
