Animals feel emotions?

Most of the photographs shown here were taken during a series of photo sessions on animals in captivity in zoos and rescue centres in Ecuador and the United States, to make portraits of emblematic species of the Yasuní National Park, in Ecuador.

Throughout time different segments of humanity have had very distinct views on non-human animal emotion, from those who claim to be merely a response to stimulus to those who believe that animals have the same emotions as humans.

In this photo story we do not intend to decode this enigma, but to create empathy between man and pictures of animals from the Ecuadorian Amazon – as humans, they use it to show for different emotions or feelings. This photo documentary was elaborated by Finding Species.

Joy

Expressions of joy can be seen among wild animals. Playing is associated with enjoyment and therefore with joy. Science has accepted that small mammals have an innate need for play. “Interacting with others helps to develop skills that will be important to aid on their survival, as observed among humans”, as stated by Marc Bekoff, a biologist at the University of Colorado.

Sadness

The neurotransmitter dopamine, essential in the processing of joy and desire, is present in both humans and animals. Deficiency of this neurotransmitter can cause sadness.

When things go wrong and there is a feeling or faith that things will get better, without a set time, there is hope. In the case of animals of the Amazon, finding food, water or shelter, resources that are necessary for the conservation of habitat and thus the impact of human activities on them, could be related to the feeling of hope.

Discouragement

Like humans, animals surely go through difficult times due to various reasons. The frequent lack of necessities such as food, territory and reproduction as a result of loss of habitat can cause an upset similar to discouragement.

Anger or Disgust

Whereas taking these photographs there was an effort to disrupt as little as possible the animals that served as models to the portraits, the majority of stimuli used were related to food. Wildlife management professionals were present at all times. However pictures of anger or disgust could be captured at times.

Pleasure

Pleasure is a feeling originated in the brain when different biological needs take place, whether in self sufficient or external stimuli. For example, deworming gives pleasure to the individual host but it can also meet part of the food requirements of another.

Machiavellian

We can observe certain animals in herds planning attacks or ambushing their prey for food on television or natural areas, scenes that can be associated with a survival instinct. It is hard to tell if animals can have bad feelings, but some expressions like the ones in these photographs make us suspect that they are up to something.

Solidarity

During the shoot of Amazonian animals held in captivity, there were interactions between individuals of the same or different species, especially among primates, which could be defined as solidarity. In both humans and other animals this noble social behaviour is crucial for the survival of the species.

In animals, curiosity can be the engine that leads to attraction to different stimuli: odours, colours, sounds or textures that make them react depending on whether it was a pleasant or unpleasant experience. Some animals avoid situations that made them feel threatened in the past or try to find again the ones that produced a good feeling.