Good Morning. Poor little animal. As the article or reporter state there might be something wrong with the mother. I am no animal expert but the conditions of captivity may affect animals or the mother might have a health problem. This is very sad...
really, that is not a reason to kill your child, dig deeper. also most mothers DONT think that their child is ugly in fact they believe it is the most beautiful of all
I think it was probably mentioned because African Elephants are a "protected vulnerable" species of elephant- in danger due to Ivory poaching, etc. I am sure that the population of said elephant IS dwindling due to these practices.
I feel really bad about the little baby elephant. It's always sad when a mother rejects their children. I have two tiny kittens that I rescued from around my house, the mother abandoned them and I am now raising them. There are many reasons why a mother would abandon the young but I believe that captivity could be a main factor in the mother's stress which lead to her actions.
there was a story recently about a mother bear in china squeezing her cub to death and then raming her own head into a wall ,right after killing herself.I doubt that mother was trying to kill her baby it was to save the cub from a life of torture in captivity.so i agree with you vanessa ,there are many reasons why a mother would kill or abandon the young
Yes i do believe that animals show emotions i mean to give a example a dog shows love towards it's master but when that owner is gone lets say pass away, a dog can mourn his/her lost showing signs of depression.
reading the article i am guessing i am to pose a side on if elephants do in fact "cry" in the emotional sense and not just in the shedding of tears. i believe that any creature that is required to nurse them young does generate an ability to produce a bond. i do also know that in cases where an animal gives birth and the baby is weak or sick they will abandon or kill it. that might be a factor. additionally, age does play a role in that as well if a mother is too old or young the health of both mother and child are possibly threatened. with that said, no female no matter what species should have to go through child birth and realize that there is or might be something wrong with her child. as the article said now her appetite has been effected...classic postpartum. so crying is irrelevant if emotions are the true question and yes i believe all mammals "bond" with their children now how strong or long depends SOLELY on that mother/child and NOT SPECIES.
Morning everyone, I truly do believe that animals can experience emotions as we do. Because they do not speak our language does not mean that they are devoid of emotions? A form of communication and a beating heart are few similarities that humans have with animals. One may argue that humans are animals as well. This is not the first report of an animal crying that I have heard. Before a cow is slaughtered there have been cases where they have been known to cry. And even pigs, which are socially intelligent animals, experience grief and joy. It seems in this article the question was raised whether they can feel the pang of a loss that a child experiences from the separation from his/her mother and I agree that this is in fact true.
Another comment that I failed to note was that postpartum depression is very common amongst new mothers. As they give birth to their child they can experience strong emotions that can range from happiness to anxiety, or even depression. After child birth (and this is what is known to humans, but I believe it can be extended to animals as well) mothers are subject to a type of psychosis. It's not to be seen as the mother hating her child, but just a part of giving birth. Even through pregnancy, we are known for our hormones to be out of wack and this does not necessarily cease after the baby is born.
I think that there was something probably wrong with the baby elephant. I've heard that animals can sometimes sense when there is something wrong with their baby so that makes the mother not want it and want to kill it or simply just abandon it. The mother's depression probably came from abandoning the baby and knowing that she was wrong by what she did. Like a human mother knows when she has done something wrong.
i dont agree all human moms feel bad because just having a kid doesnt make you a mommy true u mothered a child but you can still be heartless. the human species has so many distractions that we often lose touch with that so simple like LOVE and BONDING
well, i meant like when the human mother has like killed their kid or something and they end up in jail and it finally sinks in that they did something wrong. But then again i do agree with you on how some people are just heartless they might go to jail and not regret it one bit about killing or harming their child.
Elephants in captivity live far shorter lives than they do in the wild. It's a documented fact that by keeping them in a static environment like a zoo, even a very large one, you're cutting years off their lives and contributing to many health problems. It's very likely that the stress of captivity caused the mother's reaction.
I agree that the stress of captivity most likely caused the mother elephant's reaction to her newborn. Not only do captive environments foster many health problems, they can also have severe psychological ramifications in animals. All you have to do is look at BARC (city pound) or any animal shelter to see this. Sweet loving dogs placed into the "system" of shelter life can turn into aggressive monsters after being caged for extended periods of time...especially if the dog is a breed pre-disposed to aggressive behavior-such as Pit-Bulls, German Shepherds, even Labradors. This type of aggressive nature in almost all cases excludes the pet from adoption and in most cases puts the animal first in line for "humane" euthanasia. Makes me sad.
After working with animals (including domestics and exotics) for much of my adult life, it is my opinion that the notion that elephants (animals) cannot feel emotion or cry in response to an emotion is FALSE. People who usually make such claims will typically disregard any scientific evidence on the subject and offer an over-simplified explanation for the occurrence- in this case, claiming the elephant's tears were simply a common response in mammals when eye lubrication is needed. The reason for this, I think, is most people don't WANT to believe that animals can feel pain or emotion the same way humans do. If so, "we" as humans would have to question "our" long-standing stance of animals' inability to feel pain/emotion...which would open up a huge can of worms regarding the humane treatment of animals throughout our history.
Very good commentary. Remember the "drapetomania" definition/response for extra credit? The thought that emotions are not something animals can feel has also been applied to people. It's simply been transferred to other species, now.
people often disregard/degrade what doesnt benefit them and the emotional state of some "WILD BEAST" is certainly NOT worth anyone who's important/relevant time...lol
And now for some Monday humor to lighten things up a bit:
That mother elephant is in trouble for she will never live this down. Her baby will never forgive her because, as we all know, the elephant NEVER FORGETS :)
What I am getting from this article is that it is yet another reason why keeping animals in captivity is a bad idea. The reporter even said himself that,” infanticide,” which is basically what the mother elephant was trying to do to her baby,” can be caused by stress factors like captivity or overcrowding, which can interfere with the animals’ protective instincts towards their young.” Luckily, the calf was taken in by the zookeeper, and although this may be a good solution for now, what will happen when that baby elephant grows up? Will it protect it’s young, or try to attack them because of “stress factors?” Animals need to be able to live freely, the way they were meant to. Animal preserves are great, but if they are overcrowded, and repeatedly contaminated by human interference, then it defeats the purpose. Yes, humans can help animals, but in subtle ways that won’t alter their normal way of life. Other species are quickly becoming endangered or extinct because many humans are disregarding the fact that we live in a world that is shared with other creatures. If the animals are not properly taken care of, they could completely disappear and that kind of change could directly and indirectly affect our human lives in very negative ways.
I think preserves are good and bad. Perhaps the conditions are not completely ideal for the animal, such as the African Elephant. However, without preserves, the elephant would most likely be poached for it's valuable ivory and skin.
There must be an emotional response because the elefant has a well developed brain and when this occurs the brain might process substances that make the animals react. Such substances or chemicals make us react the way we as humans do. There might be a unconscious part to the reaction but in its simple form it might be true that such chemicals can actually be part of many animals' brain. This can also be understood as a biochemical property called irritability. "Irritability (pathology) The excessive sensitivity of a bodily organ or part to a stimulus; undue susceptibility to the influence of a stimulus." -http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Irritability
Very good point from a scientific perspective! This gives us some insight on chemical reactions in our bodies and the (sometimes) dangerous effects of said chemical reactions.
the baby calf, should not have gone threw that, i feel bad the the poor little elephant, the mother elephant was probably under stress, like the reporter did say, and mammals do have feelings, there have been cases that different kinds of mammals that have cried, tight before death, or when their morning a death. Animals are very interesting creatures and i believe that we still have a lot to learn from them.
Good Morning. Poor little animal. As the article or reporter state there might be something wrong with the mother. I am no animal expert but the conditions of captivity may affect animals or the mother might have a health problem. This is very sad...
ReplyDeletei thought it was messed up tho no child deserves that
ReplyDeletei think she try to kill cause he was ugly
ReplyDeletereally, that is not a reason to kill your child, dig deeper. also most mothers DONT think that their child is ugly in fact they believe it is the most beautiful of all
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
Delete60 % of african elephants were
ReplyDeletedisappeared in 10 years
what does that have to do with the article?
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteI think it was probably mentioned because African Elephants are a "protected vulnerable" species of elephant- in danger due to Ivory poaching, etc. I am sure that the population of said elephant IS dwindling due to these practices.
Deletehttp://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-17686365 just listen to have more information
Deletethank you christine for your explanation
DeleteNo problem Esther :) I knew what you were saying :). Very good point.
DeleteI feel really bad about the little baby elephant. It's always sad when a mother rejects their children. I have two tiny kittens that I rescued from around my house, the mother abandoned them and I am now raising them. There are many reasons why a mother would abandon the young but I believe that captivity could be a main factor in the mother's stress which lead to her actions.
ReplyDeletethere was a story recently about a mother bear in china squeezing her cub to death and then raming her own head into a wall ,right after killing herself.I doubt that mother was trying to kill her baby it was to save the cub from a life of torture in captivity.so i agree with you vanessa ,there are many reasons why a mother would kill or abandon the young
Deleteso what do you think of animals having feelings/emotions?
ReplyDeletebetter question what do you think?
DeleteYes i do believe that animals show emotions i mean to give a example a dog shows love towards it's master but when that owner is gone lets say pass away, a dog can mourn his/her lost showing signs of depression.
Deleteok better :-)
Deletereading the article i am guessing i am to pose a side on if elephants do in fact "cry" in the emotional sense and not just in the shedding of tears. i believe that any creature that is required to nurse them young does generate an ability to produce a bond. i do also know that in cases where an animal gives birth and the baby is weak or sick they will abandon or kill it. that might be a factor. additionally, age does play a role in that as well if a mother is too old or young the health of both mother and child are possibly threatened. with that said, no female no matter what species should have to go through child birth and realize that there is or might be something wrong with her child. as the article said now her appetite has been effected...classic postpartum. so crying is irrelevant if emotions are the true question and yes i believe all mammals "bond" with their children now how strong or long depends SOLELY on that mother/child and NOT SPECIES.
ReplyDeleteMorning everyone, I truly do believe that animals can experience emotions as we do. Because they do not speak our language does not mean that they are devoid of emotions? A form of communication and a beating heart are few similarities that humans have with animals. One may argue that humans are animals as well. This is not the first report of an animal crying that I have heard. Before a cow is slaughtered there have been cases where they have been known to cry. And even pigs, which are socially intelligent animals, experience grief and joy. It seems in this article the question was raised whether they can feel the pang of a loss that a child experiences from the separation from his/her mother and I agree that this is in fact true.
ReplyDeleteAnother comment that I failed to note was that postpartum depression is very common amongst new mothers. As they give birth to their child they can experience strong emotions that can range from happiness to anxiety, or even depression. After child birth (and this is what is known to humans, but I believe it can be extended to animals as well) mothers are subject to a type of psychosis. It's not to be seen as the mother hating her child, but just a part of giving birth. Even through pregnancy, we are known for our hormones to be out of wack and this does not necessarily cease after the baby is born.
DeleteI think that there was something probably wrong with the baby elephant. I've heard that animals can sometimes sense when there is something wrong with their baby so that makes the mother not want it and want to kill it or simply just abandon it. The mother's depression probably came from abandoning the baby and knowing that she was wrong by what she did. Like a human mother knows when she has done something wrong.
ReplyDeletei dont agree all human moms feel bad because just having a kid doesnt make you a mommy true u mothered a child but you can still be heartless. the human species has so many distractions that we often lose touch with that so simple like LOVE and BONDING
Deletewell, i meant like when the human mother has like killed their kid or something and they end up in jail and it finally sinks in that they did something wrong. But then again i do agree with you on how some people are just heartless they might go to jail and not regret it one bit about killing or harming their child.
DeleteElephants in captivity live far shorter lives than they do in the wild. It's a documented fact that by keeping them in a static environment like a zoo, even a very large one, you're cutting years off their lives and contributing to many health problems. It's very likely that the stress of captivity caused the mother's reaction.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the stress of captivity most likely caused the mother elephant's reaction to her newborn. Not only do captive environments foster many health problems, they can also have severe psychological ramifications in animals. All you have to do is look at BARC (city pound) or any animal shelter to see this. Sweet loving dogs placed into the "system" of shelter life can turn into aggressive monsters after being caged for extended periods of time...especially if the dog is a breed pre-disposed to aggressive behavior-such as Pit-Bulls, German Shepherds, even Labradors. This type of aggressive nature in almost all cases excludes the pet from adoption and in most cases puts the animal first in line for "humane" euthanasia. Makes me sad.
DeleteAfter working with animals (including domestics and exotics) for much of my adult life, it is my opinion that the notion that elephants (animals) cannot feel emotion or cry in response to an emotion is FALSE. People who usually make such claims will typically disregard any scientific evidence on the subject and offer an over-simplified explanation for the occurrence- in this case, claiming the elephant's tears were simply a common response in mammals when eye lubrication is needed.
ReplyDeleteThe reason for this, I think, is most people don't WANT to believe that animals can feel pain or emotion the same way humans do. If so, "we" as humans would have to question "our" long-standing stance of animals' inability to feel pain/emotion...which would open up a huge can of worms regarding the humane treatment of animals throughout our history.
Very good commentary. Remember the "drapetomania" definition/response for extra credit? The thought that emotions are not something animals can feel has also been applied to people. It's simply been transferred to other species, now.
ReplyDeleteYes, because if it is not "I" feeling the sadness/pain/neglect etc., why on earth should "I" care? ***sarcasm***
Deletepeople often disregard/degrade what doesnt benefit them and the emotional state of some "WILD BEAST" is certainly NOT worth anyone who's important/relevant time...lol
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeletedamn that is crazy tho to try to kill your child dont have sex if you dont want kids
ReplyDeleteanimals UNLIKE humans make for reproduction NOT because they like to whore around or they're bored
Deletei know just saying messed up
DeleteSome animals have been known to engage in non reproductive mating, actually. It depends on the species.
DeleteThis is true.
DeleteAnd now for some Monday humor to lighten things up a bit:
ReplyDeleteThat mother elephant is in trouble for she will never live this down. Her baby will never forgive her because, as we all know, the elephant NEVER FORGETS :)
okay a flip to your humor: it was because he looked like the daddy, who cheated on her and left her while she was pregnant. Bitter Baby Mommas
Deleteno offense to ANYONE
DeleteWhat I am getting from this article is that it is yet another reason why keeping animals in captivity is a bad idea. The reporter even said himself that,” infanticide,” which is basically what the mother elephant was trying to do to her baby,” can be caused by stress factors like captivity or overcrowding, which can interfere with the animals’ protective instincts towards their young.” Luckily, the calf was taken in by the zookeeper, and although this may be a good solution for now, what will happen when that baby elephant grows up? Will it protect it’s young, or try to attack them because of “stress factors?” Animals need to be able to live freely, the way they were meant to. Animal preserves are great, but if they are overcrowded, and repeatedly contaminated by human interference, then it defeats the purpose. Yes, humans can help animals, but in subtle ways that won’t alter their normal way of life. Other species are quickly becoming endangered or extinct because many humans are disregarding the fact that we live in a world that is shared with other creatures. If the animals are not properly taken care of, they could completely disappear and that kind of change could directly and indirectly affect our human lives in very negative ways.
ReplyDeleteI think preserves are good and bad. Perhaps the conditions are not completely ideal for the animal, such as the African Elephant. However, without preserves, the elephant would most likely be poached for it's valuable ivory and skin.
DeleteThere must be an emotional response because the elefant has a well developed brain and when this occurs the brain might process substances that make the animals react. Such substances or chemicals make us react the way we as humans do. There might be a unconscious part to the reaction but in its simple form it might be true that such chemicals can actually be part of many animals' brain. This can also be understood as a biochemical property called irritability. "Irritability (pathology) The excessive sensitivity of a bodily organ or part to a stimulus; undue susceptibility to the influence of a stimulus."
ReplyDelete-http://www.biology-online.org/dictionary/Irritability
Very good point from a scientific perspective! This gives us some insight on chemical reactions in our bodies and the (sometimes) dangerous effects of said chemical reactions.
Deletethe baby calf, should not have gone threw that, i feel bad the the poor little elephant, the mother elephant was probably under stress, like the reporter did say, and mammals do have feelings, there have been cases that different kinds of mammals that have cried, tight before death, or when their morning a death. Animals are very interesting creatures and i believe that we still have a lot to learn from them.
ReplyDeleteIn some cases the mother will kill their own in some form of protection.
ReplyDeleteyea you have a point
Deletei agree
DeleteYes, I agree with your opinion.
Deletethis is just heartbreaking
ReplyDelete