The Emo movement are people who believe animals have feelings. Several Web sites are posting funny pictures of emotional, often sad, faces of animals in a playful spin on the movement.
Animal Emotions
Though the results of scientific studies on animal emotions are inconclusive, there have been several examples of primates showing what appears to be emotional behavior. For instance, in a German zoo a female gorilla named Gana refused to let go of her three month old dead baby. Such behavior suggests that Gana was “mourning and [wanted to] say goodbye,” according to Ilona Zuehlke, a spokeswoman for the zoo.Associated Press: Mama gorilla won't let go of her dead baby (August 20, 2008) Additionally, thanks to the research of Jane Goodall in the 1960s in Africa, chimpanzees are recognized as having human-like bevaior and social skills, and in the wild have what appears to be “culture.”New York Times: Almost Human, and Sometimes Smarter (April 17, 2007)
References
Fast Facts
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Fact:
Refer to animals expressing feelings, often sadness
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Fact:
Emo is also a type of punk music often associated with depression and sadness
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Fact:
The puppet character Elmo on the show Sesame Street is often sad
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Fact:
Research on the subject if animals have feelings is inconclusive
