Author: Erin Wayman / Source: Science News
Mama’s Last Hug
Frans de Waal
W.W. Norton & Co, $27.95
During the last few weeks of her life, Mama, an elderly chimpanzee at a zoo in the Netherlands, received a special visitor.
As Mama lay curled up on a mound of straw, biologist Jan van Hooff entered her enclosure. Van Hooff, who had known Mama for more than 40 years, knelt down and stroked the arm of the listless chimp. When Mama looked up, her vacant face erupted into a smile. She reached out to van Hooff, calling out as she patted his face and neck.For primatologist Frans de Waal, isn’t difficult to interpret: Mama was happy to see her old friend. But such an interpretation has been taboo among many behavioral scientists, who have claimed nonhuman animals are like unthinking, emotionless machines that react to situations with preprogrammed instincts.
In the thought-provoking Mama’s Last Hug, de Waal dismantles that view. He presents piles of evidence that animals are emotional beings. The book…
The post ‘Mama’s Last Hug’ showcases the emotional lives of animals appeared first on FeedBox.