Saturday, May 22, 2010

Do animals other than humans consider suicide?

I know a bit of a horrible question but it just popped into my head
Answers:
Probably yes. I get loads of birds flying into my kitchen window. What a way to go ?
ask the poor bloody lemming
Well I know that whales do. Especially when they have lost their mate.
Im no zoologist but yes I think animals get depressed and have suicidal impulses just like human beings.
no. humans are the only ones. animals don't have a conscience or a sin nature, which are the some of the paths that lead to suicide.
im sure i heard that either hamsters or gerbils commit suicide by jumping off that 3rd/2nd floor level in the cage. it is meant to be true but god knows why!
Yes they do - but Lemmings don't have any more tendancy to suicide than any other animal
Lemmings
lemmings
and small whales
There have been some creatures, that have been thought to be capable of this, -Lemmings, Dolphins, etc. The most famous myth is probably the Scorpion - that it would sting itself to death if surrounded by fire.

Even cows lined up for slaughter at an abbatoir, only sense death seconds before the event.

Humans are alone, in having the ability to contemplate suicide.
Well animals don't, but sick or unhealthy animals are supposed to do things that guarantee a speedier end to their suffering, i.e whales beaching.
whales, scorpions will sting themselves if trapped, parrots mate for life and swans do - but I don't think they make a conscious effort to die. After a particularly horrible experiment a young chimpanzee gave up eating and drinking, and depression took over and he died. Other animals all have strong survival instincts that take over whatever circumstances they are in.
I remember reading someplace of pigs that jumped of a cliff and nobody knows why. I have also heard of wales beaching themselves for no apparent reason, don't know if you would call that suicide?
Your answer deems that other animals have a consciousness. Which, so far, we have been unable to prove. Putting that aside, Lemmings, when they reach a critical mass in their population suddenly choose to migrate into large expanses of water, usually off cliffs. There is even a game based on it, which I used to play ages ago which I still like based upon the tendencies of the Lemming. Well worth downloading and playing if you like puzzle type games.
lemmings
No!
Apparently parrots do, like the colorful Ara Macao Macao (Brazil, Venezuela, Ecuador, Peru). They mate for life and when their pair die, they get desperate. They fly to tremendous heights and then let themselves fall to their death. Sad, isn't it?
Yeah, lemmings.
No idea. However, i think the animal jumping off a cliff edge issue is more to do with their perception of space, height and distance. Possibly even with whales beaching if they're already ill the chances are they won't have the ability to detect space the way they usually do because they're senses are confused.
no.
but whales are known to beach themselves and die because they use sound waves to detect were they are going and because we use sound waves to communicate with eachother and it causes confusion to the whale which causes to go to the direction of the wave
Lemmings in Northern Norway do,
(A lemming is much akin to a small hamster).
When the flock gets to overcrowded they all head for a river and drown.
Its believed that Because of poor vision the lemmings actually think the water or the cliff face are other pastures ,if they really had suicidal thoughts is a matter for debate.
All the same it appears as mass suicide.
Have you watched the programme on cable about monkey world. Their was a gorilla on there who was a buddy of this female gorilla. Anyway she decided to move onto a new conquest and he got really depressed. Stopped eating, slept all day etc. The vets were so worried about him they prescribed anti-depressants. I don't know if he was suicidal but if he was that depressed he could well of been.
Guinea pigs might..when they get stressed out, sick, or morn for a lost mate their systems all shut down and they starve to death??
the whole suicidal lemming thing is a myth. and birds dont intentionally fly into windows to kill themself.. they either see reflections of trees or think its open space..
a hamster that jumps off a ledge isnt smart enough to realize that he is going to die. you will note they try to hang on at the last second.

nobody is sure if whales are commiting suicide or not, I suspect on some level they just may be lost or disoriented becuase of all the sounds from large boats (sound travels better in water)

most animals value their lives as much as we do.. the problem with humans is we are too developed for our own good and ultimately too self absorbed to think beyond ourselves which is why we get suicidal thoughts (which I admit to having had myself)
its not a horrible question but its bizarre because people cant verbally receive an answer from an animal about such a thing. I will say though that some animals do become depressed and stop eating, or drinking water.
i heard of a dolphin in captivity that was so sad it killed itself by banging its head on the side of the pool..
i think so. most people think that lemming commit suicide but actually they don't. i heard that somewhere!
Lemmings Commit suicide but don't think about it.
My fish have many a time.

I could say thet they actual executed the act.
There was a story on telly last week about a bridge in Scotland where dogs had jumped over the bridge and died, it happened to quite a few dogs, unexplained too. strange!!

I guess animals get depressed too, especially the way some humans treat the poor things ! (I love my dog %26 cat) they are both well looked after and tell me they are not wanting to commit suicide.

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