Chimpanzees mourn their dead like humans do, research finds

In a pair of studies, researchers observe the animals comforting the dying and showing signs of trauma after a death

By Amina Khan,
Los Angeles Times
April 27, 2010

Some chimpanzees seem to grieve similarly to humans in the face of a fellow chimp's death, two new studies have found, appearing to comfort the dying, experience trauma after death and have trouble letting go.

The research, published Monday in the journal Current Biology, provides a window onto a less public aspect of primate life, the authors said.

In one study, researchers at the University of Stirling and at Blair Drummond Safari Park in Britain watched how three chimpanzees, kept in heated indoor quarters during the winter, reacted as a fourth chimp, an elderly female named Pansy, sickened and died.

Park officials had separated Pansy from the other chimpanzees for treatment when she became ill in November 2008. But when her breathing became erratic a few weeks later, the other three chimps were allowed to join her.

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