It’s hard to believe that it’s been nearly 12 years since I reviewed How Animals Grieve by Barbara King. It’s a powerful book and I still recommend it today. Animals grieve and, sadly, we humans are too often the cause.
Let me begin by saying I recommend this book to anyone who doubts that animals grieve. The evidence presented is overwhelming.
Dolphins who try to keep their dead calves afloat. Elephants who seek out the remains of their dead years after their passing. A cat who wails inconsolably after losing a sibling. A turtle who comes ashore and stares for hours at the photo of its dead loved one. Or the story of two ducks, Kohl and Harper, who had been rescued from horrible lives in a foie gras factory
John is co-author, with Midge Raymond, of the Tasmanian mystery Devils Island. He is also author of the novels The Tourist Trail and Where Oceans Hide Their Dead. Co-founder of Ashland Creek Press and editor of Writing for Animals (also now a writing program).