Examples Of Animal Empathy

Scientists conducted an experiment on whether or not rats show empathy. Two rats were placed in a clear box where a treat was placed on one side of the box and the rats on the other. One rat was allowed to move freely while the other was restrained, but could be released if the other rat pushed the button to do so. As no one expected, the rat freed his companion rather than keeping the treat all for himself. There is much debate on if animals have feelings and if they contain the amount of intellect to have abilities much like our own. I say animals do have feeling and abilities not very different from us humans. According to Rifkin, animals show empathy toward a passing of their own. Rifkin emphasizes this by taking a look at how, “Elephants will often stand next to their dead kin for days, occasionally touching their bodies with their trunks.” Rifkin also mentions, “Studies on pigs’ social behavior funded by McDonald at Purdue University, for example, have found that they crave affection and are easily depressed if isolated or denied playtime with each other.” This tells us animals do feel emotions, showing they have feelings. …show more content…
In support, Rifkin highlights the fact that, “...many fish are remarkably clever. For example,they can learn geometrical relationships and landmarks and then use these to generate a mental map to plan escape routes if a predator shows up.” There is a gorilla named Koko who has learned a language. Rifkin takes a look at, “Koko, the 300 pound gorilla...who was taught sign language and has mastered more than a 1000 signs and understands several thousand english words.” This goes to show that animals have a capacity to learn and are able to understand what humans