Animal Grief

Science is now providing some remarkable insights into animal behaviour, with crocodiles, for example, emerging as devoted parents, and elephants – like whales – able to communicate with each other across long distances by ultrasound, which is inaudible to our ears. There seems little doubt that animals experience a range of emotions, just as we do; but can they grieve, too ...?


Evidence exists that, indeed, they can: in addition, David Alderton –  award-winning, multi-million selling specialist animal author – contends that emotions – including grief – can potentially have a survival value for a species.

The authoritative, rational text is superbly supported by interesting, sensitive photographs, carefully chosen to be reflective of the subject matter.


BONUS VIDEO CONTENT: A musical introduction to Animal Magic.


"Topics covered include animal souls, self-awareness, the neurobiology of grief and mourning, mourning rituals, stages of grief, and numerous examples of grief in a wide variety of animals, including elephants, chimpanzees, cats, dogs, and various birds. A large amount of information is packed in its pages and it's an easy read." – Marc Bekoff, Professor Emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder.