You have a point abc, and I would think that human emotion is often need based as well. If we weren't needed we would be without purpose, I'd think.

I remember intense emotion from an animal: It is as clear in my mind as if it was just happening - our horse would run to the fence line every time she was out & whinny & race back & forth until she made a path - for over a year. She had been taken from her home & her foal. It kind of took the pleasure away, owning her. She was a sweet animal. Eventually she settled & we enjoyed her for almost 20 years.

Yeah when you think a lot of emotion is need based. Like your horse obviously had a need to be with her previous home, until she got over it. I think there's no question about it that animals have emotion, just in a different way. I think sometimes we give animals human qualities, forgetting that they can't think in the same way as us, so although they feel emotion, it's not like they are thinking "I'm so sad right now", they just sort of... are. It's tricky to explain. I guess a good way to put it would be, say you went into your bedroom, and someone leaps out at you. Your reaction may then be to punch them or something, because you are scared or angry etc. Except you don't do it because you're angry, you do it as a reaction, but the emotion is still very much there. I don't know if that makes sense, but that's sort of what I mean.

The duck experience was a life changer for me.

But there have been many times I have noted grieving and emotions in my animals.

I have a peekapoo who is now 18 yrs old. I owned her mother, who was a poodle, for 15 years, she got pregnant on accident, and I keep her online puppy. They were always together. When the mom died, we buried her outback. For 2 years, my peekapoo would lay over her mothers grave from sun up to sun down. She was a different dog. It was sad. She only changed when we moved from there.

I had two geese once, Helen and Houdini, and a coyote killed Houdini. Helen was frantic and ran all about the back yard (she never did this before) screaming the whole while. This went on for 2 solid days. I couldn't do a thing with her. I think she was trying to show me what had happened. I loved your story. That was so precious! You are a very good egg!

I agree; I don't see how anyone who has a relationship with a bird could doubt how much they feel, even if they're not sure what they feel. Stories like this reminds me of the vast common ground we have with them, though. Humans can't move on if they're not allowed to grieve... and the birds in these stories did what was emotionally necessary too.