How Animals Grieve

by Barbara J. King

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.

Genres: Animals, Nonfiction, Science, Nature, Death, Biology, Psychology

193 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

Barbara J. King
The College of William and Mary
Ph.D., University of Oklahoma

Barbara J. King is a biological anthropologist and Professor of Anthropology at The College of William and Mary. Professor King received her B.A. in anthropology from Douglass College, Rutgers University, and earned her M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Oklahoma.

Professor King’s research interests concern the social communication of the great apes, the closest living relatives to humans. She has studied ape and monkey behavior in Gabon, Kenya, and at the Language Research Center at Georgia State University. The recipient of a Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship, she has published three books on anthropology, including The Information Continuum: Social Information Transfer in Monkeys, Apes, and Hominids.

At William and Mary, Professor King has won four teaching awards: The William and Mary Alumni Association Teaching Award, the College’s Thomas Jefferson Teaching Award, the Virginia State Council of Higher Education’s Outstanding Faculty Award, and the designation of University Professor for Teaching Excellence, 1999–2002.

Reviews

[Caity · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
A very in-depth, emotional and thought provoking novel. Not an easy read and even though it is only 180 pages long, it took me months to finish. I would have a smooth running and then hit a bump in the road and suddenly lose interest. Certain chapters were boring and dense. Although, most chapters I enjoyed. A major fault with this novel is there were too many rhetorical questions. The research provided was supportive of the author’s argument and the stories were immensely interesting, so I don’t why there was so many questions. It appeared as though the author did not trust her sources and argument. A shame that was the case because this could have been one the best books I have read this year as, it had so much potential, research and powerful writing.

[Jennifer · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book started out well; I was really interested in the anecdotes of animal grief, especially having experienced animal grief with the death of family pets. By the middle of the book, however, I was wishing that the book would just end. I'm not sure what changed; perhaps it was getting repetative (there isn't much research about animal grief but the author believes it exists) or maybe I was just getting tired of the author's writing style, which I didn't like, even from the beginning. In addition, the last chapters focused on human grief, which seemed both irrelevant and confusing, since the book's main focus was on non-human grief. It just seemed like the author slapped the chapters to the end and the result was a very disjointed conclusion. I may have also lost interest about halfway through because I am familiar with the topic of the book. I took a psychology class in college and one of our units focused on animal psychology (which included grief). I felt like I didn't gain much new information.

Positively, I did learn how humans can help their pets grieve for another pet. For many animals, it is important for them to be able to see their deceased friend and investigate the body, similar to how important it is for humans have a wake or a funeral for their loved ones. In addition, providing a new, and perhaps younger, companion for the bereaved pet can help them overcome their grief and adapt more quickly to the loss of a pet.

This book would be beneficial for those who are unfamiliar with animal grief and want to read about observable instances of such grief. Overall, I just didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought I would.

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

As far as readability goes, this book is great. It's not written in a stilted, academic language and its' very easy to see what the author wants to communicate.

The subject is rather interesting - how different animals demonstrate sadness and loss when a beloved companion dies. The author is reasonably careful to describe the scenarios in as scientific a light as possible. She offers counter explanations to behaviors, is routinely skeptical about claims without solid evidence. For example - an animal might exhibit a specific behavior for a dozen different reasons that have nothing to do with sorrow or grief.

Nevertheless, the stories in the pages can be genuinely heart-wrenching as you hear about animals who go through terrible lives to find a companion, only to have that companion die. It's hard NOT to believe that these individuals (as individuals, not as a representative of a species) can feel a genuine emotional attachment to their lost companion.

Now for the weaknesses.
While individual stories make for emotional reading, these are all anecdotal retelling of events. Not to say that the events didn't take place, but it's not really earth-shattering to see that certain individuals act somewhat differently than others. There are no sweeping statistics about a species or group of creatures; the field is just too new and under-researched.

Several chapters seemed too short, as if the author said "I want to include that story about [animal]" and there was only enough information for four pages. So the story ends up in the book, but I can't say that it really adds anything to the depth of the overall message.

Finally, the last two chapters seemed tacked on and only loosely related to the subject. One was about how people write about grief, and while some passages were honestly touching, I don't know why it was in a book about animal displays of grief. The book is only 169 pages long (minus the footnotes and index), so it almost feels like the final two chapters were added to give the book some length.

All in all I would recommend this book, but keep in mind that this is a relatively new field of scientific study, so there isn't the depth of information that many people might expect from a non-fiction report.

[RKanimalkingdom]

DNF

There was nothing wrong with this book at all. It just wasn't what I was looking for.

[melis]

yas ve hayvanlar ayrı ayrı ilgimi çeken konular olduğu için bu kitabın ismini gördüğümde çok heyecanlanmıştım. okuyacağım günü bekliyordum hatta. aslında o kadar heyecanlanmıştım ki kitabın ismi ve tanıtımından etkilenerek, araştırmadan, arka kapak yazısını bile okumadan aldım kitabı. (saf, yapma bir daha böyle şeyler).

kitabı muhtemelen sevmeyeceğimi önsözün daha ilk sayfalarında anladım. zaten antropolog olduğu için yazar insanmerkezci ve türcü anlayışı sürdürüyor, hayvan davranışlarını birbiriyle kıyaslayıp aralarında hiyerarşi kuruyor, davranışları kendi içinde bile değerlendirmiyor. 

yastan bahsedeceğini söyleyen birinin yası nasıl anladığını, kuramsallaştırdığını açıklaması, çerçevesini kurması lazım. hangi yas? nasıl bir yas? "his"ten mi dışavuruluşundan mı bahsediyorsun? araştırman, atfın, çerçeven nedir? bu sorularla pek ilgilenmiyor yazar. yas varsa sevgi vardır, sevgi varsa yas vardır gibi bir önerme sunuyor ve çerçevesi bu. yapma yavv?

kitabın bana "bebeğim sen hep böyle ve sadece anekdot mu aktaracaksın," diye sorduran yanı, devamındaki bölümlerde, farklı türde hayvanların "yaslarına" dair hikâyeler anlatılması. hakkını yemiş olmayayım belki tamamı böyle değildir diye ilk dört bölümünü okumuşum (sonunda kendime işkence etmekten vazgeçerek bıraktım) ve hepsinde aynı şekilde anekdotlar anlatılıyor (devamının da böyle olduğunu varsaymamak için hiçbir sebep göremiyorum). yazarın kendisinin, arkadaşının, komşusunun, bilmem nesinin ilgilendiği, gözlemlediği hayvanlara dair aktardığı hikâyeleri derlemiş yazar. kaynının da bir şeyleri yok muydu, onu da anlatsaydın? yakın çevresinden olmayan anlatıları da başka kitaplardan, youtube videolarından, blog yazılarından filan derlemiş. yazar ne diyor peki bunlar hakkında? "yas varsa sevgi vardır." yapma yavvvvvvvvvvvvv? (daha çok v, bir sürü v, sonsuz v).

kitabı da 28 liraya almışım bu arada. ne için? hikâyelere erişmek istesem youtube ve bloglara ben de ulaşabilir ve başka insanların gözlemlerini dinleyebilirim. 

kitabın arka kapağında kitaptakilerin "öykü" (???) olduğu yazıyor bu arada. yani bu hoşnutsuzluğumun ve sinirimin neyle karşılaşacağımı bilmemekle, kendi beklentimle de alakası çok. "aynı evde yaşadığı kedi ölen diğer kediler yemeyi içmeyi nasıl bırakıyor," "ölen bir atın etrafına diğer atlar nasıl toplanıyor," gibi "hikâye"leri okumak isteyenlerin ilgisini çekebilir yine de kitap. tabii, yazarın yaptığı gibi bu hikâyelere neden kendimiz erişmeyelim ki diye değerlendirmek gerekir o zaman da. neden bu yazardan okuyalım bu hikâyeleri? ne sunuyor ki bize?

arka kapağı kim yazdıysa ufak bir hatırlatma: "öykü" (short story) edebî bir tür, "hikâye" (story) burada olduğu gibi anekdotları da içeren, anlatıya dair daha geniş bir ifade.

[Kristy · Rating 5 out of 5]

“We must look at animals' actions with fresh eyes and thoughts unconstrained by expectations.”
--Barbara King

With her down to earth analysis and presentation of scientific observation, King brings us a fervently researched and documented immersion into the enlightening, wide scope of grief in the animal kingdom. From cats to elephants, baboons and apes to goats and horses, the accounts of grieving among animal families are touching, sometimes baffling, but always astoundingly revelatory.
With a clear headed approach, Barbara challenges her own assumptions, remaining skeptical but open minded to stories surrounding animal grief. She does not allow herself to project her own meanings on the experience of death among animals. Rather, she gathers proof and makes her assertions based on meticulous observation. Time and time again, evidence supports initial claims of animals grieving not only the loss of members of their own species, but that of other species and animal families, including the human family.
This book's biggest accomplishment is revealing the dangerous arrogance present in so much of humanity through our dismissal and unbalanced subjugation of animal life. I urge animal and nature lovers to make this book part of their permanent collection.

[Bookworm · Rating 3 out of 5]

Repetitive, but interesting look at how animals grieve Pet owners and animal lovers probably won't be surprised at the information in this book, which looks at various animals in grief at the death of their fellow animal and sometimes human. Many of these stories are probably familiar: dogs that sniff around and go from room to room looking for his/her companion, elephants that stop and examine the dead body of a comrade, dolphins that carry/push their dead and are guarded by fellow dolphins, etc.
 
Most chapters discusses a different animal: elephants, dogs, cats, horses, rabbits, dolphins, etc. King offers observations from both herself and scientists who have previously studied these animals. There are also stories from animal owners and caretakers about the deaths of animals in their care and what their families do or not.
 
King warns that not all animals seem to exhibit grief or perhaps know how to "move on" in ways humans do not understand or observe. For example, she cites one dog who was brought in to see another who had been put down by the vet. The living animal showed no interest in the dead companion. King acknowledges that perhaps the relationship between the two (who had lived together) was not close. Or the animal had simply moved on and the death was of no matter.
 
It was an interesting and relatively quick read, although sometimes I felt it could get repetitive since it followed the basic same structure. It was fascinating to see how how this is something that appears to encompass much of the animal kingdom, and King offers some thoughts about what that means for humans, both in terms of ourselves and in understanding the grief of others (human or otherwise).
 
Animal lovers or those who study them will probably find this interesting.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have enjoyed King's work on NPR, and this book did not disappoint. Drawing on a range of documented examples and current research on the topic of animal grief across disciplines, King argues convincingly that just because we may not recognize grief in other animals does not mean it isn't there. Like humans, animals within and across species grieve differently. And different doesn't mean less than. Not surprisingly many of the examples are tough to read. For me, the chapter on animal suicide was especially difficult.

[sarah young · Rating 5 out of 5]

(I skipped the later chapter about animal suicide/bear farms because my heart couldn’t cope)
The author is from Gloucester! A great read about the emotional awareness of animals. Animals grieve and are far more individual than most will accept. Reads like this confirm my decade+ vegetarianism. Humans are cruel. How Animals Grieve really hits home with the loss of my beloved cat, Scar a month ago. Simba, Scar’s brother from the same litter, has been grieving and this book shows similar behavior examples.

[marie]

i was reading this for a report for school, but the content was so repetitive that i got MORE than enough info within the first third of the book to write my paper

[frelkahere · Rating 4 out of 5]

dreaming of a world without animal exploitation

[John Yunker · Rating 4 out of 5]

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

Dolphins who try to keep their dead calves afloat. Elephants who seek out the remains of their dead years after their passing. A cat who wails inconsolably after losing a sibling. A turtle who comes ashore and stares for hours at the photo of its dead loved one.

Or the story of two ducks, Kohl and Harper, who had been rescued from horrible lives in a foie gras factory. Author Barbara King writes:

That Kohl and Harper lived for four years at the sanctuary was, given their traumatic past histories, a happy and unexpected outcome. When Kohl could not longer walk, or his pain be treated effectively, he was euthanized. From outside the barn where the procedure took place, Harper was watching, and after it was over, he could see his friend’s body, lying in straw on the barn floor. At first, Harper tried to communicate with Kohl in the usual ways. Getting no response, he bent down and prodded Kohl with his head. After more inspection and prodding, Harper lay down next to Kohl and put his head and neck over Kohl’s neck. He stayed in that position for some hours.

Harper got up eventually, and sanctuary caretakers removed Kohl’s body. For a while after that, Harper went every day to his favorite spot, once shared with Kohl, next to a small pond. There he would sit. Efforts to introduce him to another potential duck friend didn’t take, which was especially sad because Harper was now more nervous around people without Kohl. Everyone at the sanctuary recognized Harper’s depression. Two months later, Harper died as well.

Reading the many stories included in this book isn’t easy. Particularly because, as King notes, too many of the scientists who provide the source material resist seeing grief where grief clearly resides. And, in some horrible cases, scientists have inflicted grief onto animals only to prove that it does exist.

The author astutely makes the point that not all humans grieve publicly, so we can’t assume that the lack of display with animals is proof that they do not grieve. People are not all the same, and neither are animals of a given species.

The key is not that all animals grieve but that all animals have the capacity to grieve. And this is the point that matters most. It’s not that one “special” cat suffers visibly while other cats may not suffer so visibly. It’s that all animals feel loss and deal with it in different ways.

The major lesson to be taken from this book for those in charge of animals is to allow the necessary time for grieving. Don’t just rush away the body. Let the animal companions spend time with the body and grieve in their own ways, if this takes a few minutes or hours or longer.

People need time to grieve. So do animals.

“Grief is but the price of love,” the author writes, quoting animal welfare activist Marc Bekoff.

Anthropomorphism is a four-letter word in scientific circles and the author did a good job of keeping her distance while laying out the facts for all to see — though at times I felt she worked a bit too hard to keep her distance (I’m not scientist so I have no problem anthropomorphizing). For instance, while there is ample evidence that elephants and dolphins and apes grieve, the author cites the limited evidence for monkeys to conclude they do not mourn the dead.

It’s time that more people felt grief over the way we treat animals. This book is an important step in that direction.

[Scott Buchanan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although scientific research on the topic of animal grief is thin, King offers an exhaustive collection of anecdotal evidence that suggest it occurs in many species. However, anecdotal evidence is not scientific evidence. Although King’s examples were interesting to read and suggest topics for future research, I think it’s a stretch to call all of these behaviors grief, especially in lower animals. King seems to disregard other possible explanations that might explain the observed behaviors in favor of always aligning them with “grief”. It’s an interesting book, but not a scientific look at animal grief which, given the limited research in this area, may not yet exist. King is to be commended for starting the conversation on animal grief. It an interesting topic and perhaps further research will prove some of her hypotheses correct.

[Hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was very excited about this book, especially seeing as there isn't all that much that has been written about animal grieving, but Kings approach feels like something more akin to a "chicken soup for the soul" book than a study. The "case studies" aren't scientific for the most part, which wouldn't have bothered me had they brought anything to the discussion. Unfortunately, they were mostly tales of cats mourning their lost companions, stories we have all heard from acquaintances, anyone reading this book, or who has any experience with animal already knows these things. The chapters drawing from scientific studies had interesting things, but the author didn't expand upon them in any way that brought anything new or interesting to the discussion.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

A colleague loaned me this at a time when I grieve the loss of my beloved dog Maddie. The evidence for animal grief gave me comfort. King's style is readable. The book is an excellent model of academic inquiry that acknowledges limitations as well as the human aspect of research. If I had the opportunity to teach Comp 101/102 to a class of future animal anthropologists and/or vets, this would be my text book of choice.

[Eaton Hamilton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clear-sighted and compelling.

[Jbussen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. It’s easily readable, relatable, and not at all a stiff academic paper. The Skinny: A compelling collection of animal grief anecdotes from popular media and scientific inquiry from the point of view of an anthropologist. Can we “prove” whether or not animals grieve? The author astutely makes the point that not all humans grieve publicly, so we can’t assume that the lack of display with animals is proof that they do not grieve. People are the same, and neither are animals, and animals feel loss and deal with it in different ways. So what constitutes “proof” that animals grieve? Asking if animals grieve is like asking is they have feelings. Ants respond to chemical markers, higher order animals are capable of abstract, well “higher” thought. I think the question is a no brainer. Still the anecdotes are what make this book a worthwhile read ~ in my book anyway, laughs.

The author makes a valiant effort to resist anthropomorphism by providing opposing theories, but I just don’t buy them. Example: A primate mother continues to carry her dead offspring because maybe she is not mourning or grieving but just doesn’t know the animal is dead? A person plays Frisbee with a dog frequenting someplace and the dog dies. Was the dog even a “friend”? Do we miss the dog or just recognize a break in routine? Or at least is that question fair for “lower” animals? Rephrase it as an animal in a pair or group dies. Is the resulting emotion because of the animal’s loss or just a change in environment? Yeah, I just don’t buy the rhetorical questions.

Of Note: Because of the above I do believe in animal suicide and animal mercy killing as exampled by the dolphin from “Flipper” and a bear on a Chinese bile farm that killed it’s child and then itself. I’m not giving this author “credit” in revealing our kinds arrogant cruelty of animals that we know DAMNED WELL have feelings. Example: Said bear was strapped down with a feeding tube so it could only shit, it couldn’t even eat. That was 100% of its life. Fucking Chinese (does this make me racist? Well, culturally ethnocentric at least.)

Another thing I didn’t really consider. Humans can help their pets grieve for another pet. For many animals, it is important for them to be able to see their deceased friend and investigate the body, similar to how important it is for humans have a wake or a funeral for their loved ones. In addition, providing a new, and perhaps younger, companion for the bereaved pet can help them overcome their grief and adapt more quickly to the loss of a pet. I’m glad I read this book. 8-8-20

[Mayumi Shimose Poe · Rating 4 out of 5]

HOW ANIMALS GRIEVE (2013) by Barbara J. King:
A beautiful book considering animal emotion, attachment, love, and grief. I read this as research for a writing project-in-progress. It reviews interspecies behaviors that could be interpreted as grieving in cats, dogs, farm, animals, bunnies, elephants, primates, birds, sea mammals, turtles, and bison, as well as cross-species examples. Author Barbara King is both animal lover and scientific observer, but as she (an anthropologist) notes it can be difficult not to anthropomorphize animals. But what do we have to understand the world except for the ways that we understand it and the ways we observe others doing so, differently from us. King casts a wide-net definition: “Grief can be said to occur when a survivor animal acts in ways that are visibly distressed or altered from the usual routine, in the aftermath of the death of a companion animal who had mattered emotionally to him or her” (163). Grief is a broken routine. Grief is an absence. Grief is a limbo before and into developing the new normal. Grief marks entrance into frontierlands, where neither partner has been before: one to loss, one to whatever comes after death… To borrow the famously pithy Keanu Reeves quote, what we can know about after-death is that “the ones who love us will miss us.”

[Harper Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I know the majority of this book is based on anecdote, the plural of which is not data, I appreciated it as an exploration more than a study on animal grief. As someone who was completely convinced of cat grief a full decade ago when our cat lost his companion, I knew I already had a bias towards believing at least *some* animals grieve. I was pretty interested by the animals that seemed to show emotion and depression when losing a companion as opposed to the ones that didn’t- I would not have guessed that ducks could grieve at all, and would absolutely have expected that monkeys would on a regular basis.

It’s no secret that I’ve been caught up in the topics of death and grief after my aunt died a couple of weeks ago, and I loved how the author (an anthropologist) pulled together the ending to discuss what is unique (though not necessarily superior) about human grief.

Overall, I would have liked more proper research to back up her theories, but I also understand that such research is lacking and this is what we have for now.

[Roberta Roscini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Questo libro accende nel pensiero tutte le sfumature del lutto, dellʼamore perduto, di quel grigiore di cui si veste lʼanima quando cerchi di imparare a convivere con la perdita.
Ma lʼanima di chi? Lʼanima di individui che pensano, amano e soffrono. Animali. Animali non umani, che ci raccontano della loro tristezza attraverso il loro comportamento, la loro magnifica comunicazione. Chi siamo, noi umani, per avere la pretesa di essere gli unici a provare delle emozioni profonde?
Questo libro ti apre gli occhi e la mente, leggi riga dopo riga storie di vite animali toccate dal lutto che ti sembrano incredibili finché non capisci che siamo tutti animali, siamo tutti emotivi, siamo tutti vivi allo stesso modo.

“On the following day, before moving on to another part of the Elephant Sanctuary, Sissy made a choice that surprised the people who witnessed it. She placed her beloved tire, her security blanket, on her friendʼs grave. There she left it, an elephant memorial offering, for several days.”

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I was expecting this to be a review of scientific studies of animal grief, but King is actually trying to make the CASE for more research into animal grief by compiling a large number of anecdotal accounts across a range of animals bolstered by what limited scientific research there is. She is, as a scientist, careful to point out that this is her point, noting that some of this would be considered weak data. I think she should have made this point more strongly from the start, rather than at the end of the book. But her case is made – there is very definitely good cause for further research and to question biases against pursuing such research.

It was terrible timing, on my part, to choose to read this book now, during the COVID-19 epidemic. Story after story of sad, distraught (and even a couple potentially suicidal) animals and grieving humans. I feel like I’ve been reading this forever. Time to switch to something funny.

[Urszula · Rating 3 out of 5]

A few compelling stories that show how animals deal with loss, what influences how they deal with it, or when they show no remorse or grieve at all. I like that it is based on many personal stories, but the author ensures that we understand what science says/could say about each case, as opposed to our subjective observations. She tries to be precise and accurate with the language she uses, but also showcases the limitations of explaining animal behaviour through limited scientific discoveries. Given that we're animals too, it seems that a lot of observable behavior could connect us with other animals, and grief is no exception. On the other hand we need to be careful with antropomorphisation, as we can be quite wrong as well. Just found it interesting and pleasant to listen to.

[Harper · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. A very interesting topic that was discussed across a wide range of animals. Some of the anecdotes really stuck with me, especially the chapter discussing the debate of animal suicide. The writing suffers a little from repetition, but I chalk that up to the author's passion for the topic and the cross-species similarities in how they behave during distress.

The anecdote about horses standing in silent circles around their dead was my favorite and will stick with me for a very long time.

[Lene Kretschz · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5 stars

Excessively anecdotal, even for a popular science book, this would have benefited from a more rigorous structure. Virtually everything in the first half of the book could have been combined into one long chapter and many anecdotes should have been trimmed as repetitive and contributing little to the author's general thesis. King has plenty of interesting material here and she asks some good questions and makes intriguing observations but these get lost in a sea of frequently pointless trivia. Disappointing.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book fulfilled something in me. It was human grief adjacent in ways that I appreciated...especially when learning about human grief was just too harsh for me after my mom's death. The end of the book touched on the human experience (as we humans are animals!) in a way that was gentle enough for my grief-stricken-psyche. I'm thankful for this book. I will return it to the UMN Libraries but also might buy my own copy.

[Confexxi_history · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book, that teaches a lot about different animals. I learnt a lot and it’s very easy to read. The many examples and explanations help understand even more. I recommand this book to animal lovers and to anyone curious about whether or not the grieving idea for animals is antropomorphy or wishful thinking

Unfortunately there are some small mistake at the end where the author mentions Israel, when they meant Palestine and « israeli sites » when likewise they meant Palestinian sites

[Judith Kristen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Barbara King's book should be mandatory reading in every school around the world... actually, a book for everyone from 8 to 108.
The stories within were written to inform us, but in the process, they will touch your heart in such a way that you will be forever grateful.
I will surely read 'How Animals Grieve' again... for the pure wonder of it all.

[Jessica Peveler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compelling collection of animal grief anecdotes from popular media and scientific inquiry from the point of view of an anthropologist. Near the end, it became a bit repetitive for me, but may be worth picking up again in the future to get back on the later chapters. Still, I took many notes, and the author gives plenty to think on in regards to grief, "humanity," and animal cognition.

[Steph LaPlante · Rating 2 out of 5]

Overall, I thought this book had some really interesting parts and I did learn some interesting things, however, I found it slightly repetitive and hard to get through. It really didn't keep my attention and I found the last few chapters slow and somewhat irrelevant.

I would still recommend it for those who are interested in the subject of animal grief.

[Kramer Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book. Easy to read and pretty interesting. King mentions a variety of different cases where different animals (appear to) grieve over the deaths of others. I didn't require much convincing that animals do grieve, but it is good to have access to a such an array of examples.