In a normal human life, we are bound to experience emotion from the time we are born, to the time we leave this earth. Whether it is the emotion expressed when: a mother gets a new born, when the lights go out and you miss your favorite show or when you lose the ones you love. Emotions are part of human consciousness that we cannot function without, unless you are a zombie!
There are seven universal emotions expressed by human beings that is; anger, fear, disgust, happiness, sadness, surprise, contempt (Turner,2006). So why do we express emotion? Why are they an integral part of human life? Well this is a non-verbal communication of how we are feeling. However, our focus today is not on human emotion rather on animal emotion. The question then arises whether and to what extent do different animals experience emotion?
Emotions can be defined as a conscious mental reaction subjectively experienced as a strong feeling usually directed toward a specific object and typically accompanied by physiological and behavioural changes in the body. Scientists try to study emotions by splitting them into three components: physiological (how the body responds), behavioural (what one shows to others) and psychological (what one feels) responses (Wong,2013).
Emotions differ from sensations, which are only physical consequences (e.g. heat), and from feelings, which refer to only internal states with no reference to external reactions (Lahvis, 2014).
Emotions in animals were first described by Charles Darwin in 1872, where he described emotions as stereotyped facial expressions and bodily postures in specific contexts. Darwin explored the expression of emotions not only by humans but also by cats, dogs, horses and many other animals. Darwin observed similarities between human and non-human animal expressions, in line with his theory of continuity between species.
Darwin’s work on animal emotions was criticised for approximately 100 years and until relatively recently, many scientists thought it was impossible to scientifically study animal emotion, and anyone who did so was thought to be wrongly attributing human thoughts and feelings to animals (anthropomorphism).
Observing animal emotion is not as easy as observing human emotion. We can’t communicate to animals directly via speech to ask them whether they are sad or happy. That is something that can only be observed and for a long period of time. Extensive scientific study has been done on animal emotion and we can confidently state that yes animals experience emotions just as we do. This can be seen through the different behaviors they exhibit due to certain triggers.
Let’s begin by looking at the closest relative to us humans, chimpanzees. In a Netherlands zoo an elderly chimpanzee named mama is sick and dying. Professor Jan Van Hooff who has known the primate for four decades decides to do the unthinkable. He enters mama`s enclosure which is dangerous as chimpanzees can launch violent attacks. The professor approaches mama, mama grins and reaches for the professor with her arms, embraces him and rhythmically pats his back. This is a comforting gesture that chimpanzees use to quiet a whimpering infant. Mama was telling him that he should not worry. Still not convinced? Let us then look at emotional responses of other animals.
Asian and African elephants will wrap their trunks round each other as a sign of consolation. In times of pain elephants can even cry tears just as we humans do. Elephants are known for their empathy towards members of the same species as well as their cognitive memory. While this is true scientists continuously debate the extent to which elephants feel emotion. Observations show that elephants, like humans, are concerned with distressed or deceased individuals, and render assistance to the ailing and show a special interest in dead bodies of their own kind.
Elephants are also deemed to show emotion through vocal expression, specifically the rumble vocalization. Rumbles are frequency modulated, harmonically calls with fundamental frequencies , with clear formant structure. Elephants exhibit negative emotion and/or increased emotional intensity through their rumbles, based on specific periods of social interaction and agitation (Willer, 2018).
Even rodents who seem to display no emotions have been found to express facial expressions. They express anguish through narrowed eyes, flattened ears and swollen cheeks. Dogs and cats also have a key facial expression the ‘inner brow pull’ which makes their eyes appear larger giving them that sad cute look.
It has been postulated that domestic cats can learn to manipulate their owners through vocalizations that are similar to the cries of human babies. Some cats learn to add a purr to the vocalization, which makes it less harmonious and therefore harder to ignore (Sherwood,2016) Individual cats learn to make these vocalizations through trial-and-error; when a particular vocalization elicits a positive response from a human, the probability increases that the cat will use that vocalization in the future.
Growling can be an expression of annoyance or fear, similar to humans. When annoyed or angry, a cat wriggles and thumps its tail much more vigorously than when in a contented state. In larger felids such as lions, what appears to be irritating to them varies between individuals. A male lion may let his cubs play with his mane or tail, or he may hiss and hit them with his paws. Domestic male cats also have variable attitudes towards their family members, for example, older male siblings tend not to go near younger or new siblings and may even show hostility toward them (Forkman, 2014).
Hissing is also a vocalization associated with either offensive or defensive aggression. They are usually accompanied by a postural display intended to have a visual effect on the perceived threat. Cats hiss when they are startled, scared, angry, or in pain, and also to scare off intruders into their territory. If the hiss and growl warning does not remove the threat, an attack by the cat may follow. Kittens as young as two to three weeks will potentially hiss when first picked up by a human (Sherwood, 2016).
Still a lot of research is being done to understand animal emotion. Animals unlike humans however do not fake emotions. For example, studies done by a French neurologist Duchenne de Boulogne identified two kinds of human smiles. The genuine version, which is an expression of positive feelings and joy and there is the plastic smile which could mean nervousness, amusement or attraction. Animals on the other hand cannot express fake emotions theirs is genuine, thus why animal social groups can exist without disagreements. It is however important to understand that there is a difference between animal emotions and feelings. Emotions are depicted by actions; feelings can only be experienced by the animal itself.
So, the next time you think about beating your dog for entering your bedroom, remember that also it has the same emotion of sadness you would feel if roles were reversed. Why not just walk it outside. Simple acts of kindness to animals go along way into building relationships between you and the animal. Your dog will be more willing to put its life on the line if you were in trouble if it knows you are respectable to it. Owners and people living around animals should desist from any form of animal cruelty to avoid the animals from being sad or causing them physical pain.
The law clearly states that cruelty towards an animal is prohibited. It doesn’t matter where you are in the world. These include committing violence on the animal, overworking it while unwell, starvation and denial of water, abandonment, poisoning, careless surgery procedures, hunting and killing in a cruel manner, and prolonging the life of an animal in great pain.
The law also prohibits placement of traps and snares that cause unnecessary suffering to an animal and failing to check on a trapped animal, as well as wilfully poisoning of animals. Slaughtering an animal in a manner that causes unnecessary suffering is also prohibited.
Training an animal in a cruel manner that inflicts pain and terror is prohibited. These includes use of whips, goads, and electrical shocks. So is performing acts of entertainment where an animal is made to suffer, including fighting. Hawking of animals in a cruel manner is also illegal.
By avoiding all the above forms of animal cruelty, we are creating an environment where animals and humans can co-habit with each other. For wild animals on the other hand following game park rules are enough to ensure the animals within enclosures or out in the park are kept from any form of harm. How many times have you read a sign ‘DO NOT FEED THE ANIMALS’ and you end up doing so or throwing litter out of your car with the excuse that the material is degradable. Such acts put the animals at risk and encourage them to exhibit behavior that they shouldn’t. let us be respectable to all animals whether big or small and create an environment where all animals can exhibit positive emotions, to create better human-animal coexistence.
