The Last Embrace of Mom. What Animal Emotions Teach Us

Do animals feel pride, shame, guilt, or disgust like we do, humans? Do they have a sense of justice and gratitude? Can dogs laugh and mourn, can elephants comfort each other, and do monkeys envy, plot intrigues, and build revenge plans? Do fish feel pain and can birds love? What do alpha male chimpanzees and contemporary politicians have in common? In this kind and intelligent book, in addition to the touching story of a chimpanzee named Mom, renowned primatologist Frans de Waal shares his numerous observations and experiments dedicated to studying the emotions of various animals. Alongside anger and hatred, which can even lead to the intentional killing of their kind, animals exhibit a surprising capacity for compassion, reconciliation, and forgiveness. They, like us, are capable of empathy, mutual assistance, and close social interaction.