Articles
Security dog sniffs out mummified monkeys in airport luggage
Security dog sniffs out mummified monkeys in airport luggage
Airport staff were shocked after a security dog sniffed out something unusual in luggage from a traveller returning from Africa – mummified monkeys.
The passenger returning from a visit to the Democratic Republic of Congo reported that the luggage contained dried fish, but an inspection at Boston Logan Airport revealed the dead and dehydrated bodies of four monkeys, agents said.
The traveller said he brought the monkeys into the US for his own consumption, Ryan Bissette, a Customs and Border Protection (CPB) spokesperson, said on Sunday.
Raw or minimally processed meat from wild animals, sometimes referred to as “bushmeat,” is banned in the US because of the threat of disease.
"The potential dangers posed by bringing bushmeat into the United States are real. Bushmeat can carry germs that can cause illness, including the Ebola virus,” said Julio Caravia, local port director for CPB.
It is even thought one or more HIV strains originated from bushmeat hunters in central and western Africa.
The incident happened last month but was made public on Friday.
Mr Bissette said Sunday that no charges were filed but all of the luggage was seized and the nearly 9lb of bushmeat was marked for destruction by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Earlier this month, a Brazilian woman travelling to Sao Paulo via Panama was charged with wildlife trafficking after 130 harlequin frogs were seized from her luggage.
The alleged smuggler was arrested at Bogota’s El Dorado international airport by authorities after the poisonous animals were discovered packaged inside small film canisters.
Officials described the amphibians, also known as poison-dart frogs, to be in a “dehydrated” and “stressed” condition.
Story by Via AP news wire: The Independent:
What is a Canada lynx? And should you be afraid of them?
What is a Canada lynx? And should you be afraid of them?
Hiking in the northern states and Canada can be an opportunity to get your eyes on some truly awe-inspiring wildlife, from giant bovines and hulking Ursidae to big prowling, purring cats. Almost all of these animals aren’t nearly as interested in us as we are in them, so seeing any animal like a bear or wild cat can be pretty exciting – but it can also be scary, especially if you don’t know exactly what you’re looking at, or whether it poses a threat to you.
A healthy amount of fear can be a good thing when it comes to wildlife safety, as hopefully it cuts down on the amount of tourists posing for photos with alligators, but sometimes too much fear can endanger animals. One beautiful animal that’s often misunderstood is the Canada lynx, an evasive furball that pads around on the prowl in northern climes. If you’ve seen such an animal when winter hiking in the north, read on for everything you need to know about this amazing creature.
What is a Canada lynx?
The Canada lynx is a mid-sized wildcat that predominantly dwells in dense borealis forest and makes up one of four species in the lynx family, alongside its cousin, the bobcat. With long black tufts on their triangular ears and black tips on their bobbed tails, this distinctive cat typically stands about 20 inches tall at the shoulder, ranges from about 29 to 43 inches long and can weigh up to 24 lbs – about twice the weight of a house cat.
During the colder months, the Canada lynx sports a thick, gray coat that turns thinner and light brown in summer. Tufts of fur that grow out of their cheeks make their faces appear wide. Their large paws act like natural snowshoes, allowing them to tiptoe around the powder looking for prey, which they do at night. When they set their sights on a tasty-looking snowshoe hare – their primary food source – they’re not sprinters so they must lie in wait and pounce at the right time.
Because they’re so dependent on snowshoe hare for survival, the population density of the two species is closely correlated. When snowshoe hares aren’t available, they’ll also feed on small mammals and birds, though have been known to also eat large mammals like caribou, according to Canadian Geographic.
Where can you find Canada lynx?
Canada lynx is distributed across much of Canada and Alaska but you can also find them in smaller populations in the US. According to the National Wildlife Federation, the presence of stable lynx populations has been confirmed in Maine, Montana, Washington and Colorado, where no more than about 200 of them are thought to live.
The nocturnal Canada lynx is an extremely elusive species. Not only do they shy away from humans everywhere, their population has been threatened by habitat destruction and competition with coyotes, especially in the US and southeastern Canada. Reintroduction measures have been in place in parts of the US over the decades, and they have been listed as threatened in the lower 48 under the Endangered Species Act since 2000. So while Canada lynx can be found in many parts of North America, to come across one on your travels would be very rare and special indeed.
Are Canadian lynx aggressive?
Many North American hikers can be fearful of wildlife, and with grizzly bears, wolves, mountain lions and alligators on the trail, it’s not necessarily that surprising. However, much like their bobcat cousins, you’re extremely unlikely to encounter a Canada lynx on the trail and you probably have nothing to fear if you do as they are not human predators or naturally aggressive.
Though Canada lynx will stalk and kill animals for food and in self-defense against other animals, they’re most likely to give you a wide berth unless you’re trying to corner them for a photograph, getting too close to their young or they are sick.
That said, just like with a bobcat, if you are lucky enough to see a Canada lynx while you’re out snowshoeing, take care to secure your pets and children and practice the following precautions:
- Don't approach it. Respect all wildlife by keeping your distance. Remember, you're a guest in their house, not the other way around.
- Don't try to feed it.
- Don’t turn your back on the lynx. Keep facing it and back away slowly and deliberately to make space between you.
- Don’t run as it may provoke the lynx into instinctively pursuing you.
- If the lynx is acting aggressively towards you, start making a lot of noise. Use your voice, bear bells, beat your trekking pole against a tree, blow your hiking whistle – basically whatever you have at your disposal.
Story by Julia Clarke: Adventure
Surprising similarities in stone tools of early humans and monkeys
Surprising similarities in stone tools of early humans and monkeys
Accidentally produced stone fragments made by macaques resemble some of the earliest hominin stone artifacts
- Date:
- March 10, 2023
- Source:
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
- Summary:
- Researchers have discovered artefacts produced by old world monkeys in Thailand that resemble stone tools, which historically have been identified as intentionally made by early hominins. Until now, sharp-edged stone tools were thought to represent the onset of intentional stone tool production, one of the defining and unique characteristics of hominin evolution. This new study challenges long held beliefs about the origins of intentional tool production in our own lineage.
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology have discovered artefacts produced by old world monkeys in Thailand that resemble stone tools, which historically have been identified as intentionally made by early hominins.
Until now, sharp-edged stone tools were thought to represent the onset of intentional stone tool production, one of the defining and unique characteristics of hominin evolution. This new study challenges long held beliefs about the origins of intentional tool production in our own lineage.
The research is based on new analyses of stone tools used by long-tailed macaques in the Phang Nga National Park in Thailand.
These monkeys use stone tools to crack open hard-shelled nuts.
In that process, the monkeys often break their hammerstones and anvils.
The resulting assemblage of broken stones is substantial and widespread across the landscape.
Moreover, many of these artefacts bear all of the same characteristics that are commonly used to identify intentionally made stone tools in some of the earliest archaeological sites in East Africa.
"The ability to intentionally make sharp stone flakes is seen as a crucial point in the evolution of hominins, and understanding how and when this occurred is a huge question that is typically investigated through the study of past artefacts and fossils.
Our study shows that stone tool production is not unique to humans and our ancestors," says lead author Tomos Proffitt, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
"The fact that these macaques use stone tools to process nuts is not surprising, as they also use tools to gain access to various shellfish as well.
What is interesting is that, in doing so they accidently produce a substantial archaeological record of their own that is partly indistinguishable from some hominin artefacts."
New insights into the evolution of stone tool technology
By comparing the accidentally produced stone fragments made by the macaques with those from some of the earliest archaeological sites, the researchers were able to show that many of the artefacts produced by monkeys fall within the range of those commonly associated with early hominins.
Co-lead author Jonathan Reeves highlights: "The fact that these artifacts can be produced through nut cracking has implications for the range of behaviours we associate with sharp edged flakes in the archaeological record.."
The newly discovered macaque stone tools offer new insights into how the first technology might have started in our earliest ancestors and that its origin may have been linked to similar nut cracking behaviour which could be substantially older than the current earliest archaeological record.
"Cracking nuts using stone hammers and anvils, similar to what some primates do today, has been suggested by some as a possible precursor to intentional stone tool production.
This study, along with previous ones published by our group, opens the door to being able to identify such an archaeological signature in the future," says Lydia Luncz, senior author of the study and head of the Technological Primates Research Group at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. "This discovery shows how living primates can help researchers investigate the origin and evolution of tool use in our own lineage."
Story Source:
Materials provided by Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Mountain lions are elusive, looking for food, and more likely to attack if you’re moving. What’s a cyclist to do?
Mountain lions are elusive, looking for food, and more likely to attack if you’re moving. What’s a cyclist to do?
The first attack came out of nowhere.
Keri Bergere and her four friends, all competitive women cyclists in their 50s and 60s, were riding along a gravel trail through a picturesque Washington forest when two mountain lions crossed their path. One of the animals kept going; the other, a 75-pound young male, unexpectedly – and terrifyingly – pounced.
The lion knocked 60-year-old Bergere off her bike and to the ground, clamping his powerful jaws around her face as it settled in for the kill, in the way that mountain lions do: Crushing and suffocating the life out of captured prey. Bergere could feel her teeth loosening and her bones crumbling as the animal held fast – but her friends sprung to action.
Grabbing large sticks, the women spent an astonishing 45 minutes tackling the lion. They attempted to pry its jaws open and even repeatedly dropping a 25–pound rock on its head, all the while petrified that its large feline companion could return. Eventually, and incredibly, the animal loosened enough that Bergere could crawl away. The cyclists pinned the lion down with a bike until the arrival of a parks and wildlife officer, who put the animal down. Bergere, miraculously, survived the 17 February attack and has lived to retell the tale as she recovers.
Another attack, however – five weeks later to the day and almost 800 miles south – did not have such a happy ending.
That’s when California brothers Taylen and Wyatt Brooks, seasoned outdoorsmen aged 21 and 18, respectively, were out looking for shed antlers in El Dorado County. Again, they were on a path when they
encountered a lion; they tried to scare it off, following the best expert advice of yelling and waving their arms to appear bigger.
But it didn’t work; the lion charged.
At first it attacked Wyatt’s face and dragged him to the ground. His older brother was able to beat it off, but then the animal turned its attention to Taylen. The animal clamped down on the 21-year-old and wouldn’t let go, despite the frantic efforts of an injured Wyatt. The younger sibling fled for help when it became apparent his efforts to free Taylen were futile – and returning rescuers pronounced him dead at the scene.
t was the first fatal mountain lion attack in California in 20 years.
The headline-grabbing dramatic attacks, so close in time and both occurring on the West Coast, have drawn renewed attention to the dangers of mountain lion attacks— they remain exceptionally rare, but just how concerned should people be?
“Human beings are particularly vulnerable, because we’re not very fast, we don’t see very well, our hearing is really poor, relative to deer,” Utah State University’s David Stoner, a professor of wildlife ecology, told The Independent. “So one might even ask the question: Why doesn’t this happen all the time?”
Trying to predict animal instinct
Fewer than 30 fatal incidents have been recorded in North America in the past century, but the animals and imagery are evocative – fuelling everything from fear to fame. One beloved cougar, for example, captured the hearts of Hollywood during his decade-plus and widely-documented residence in Los Angeles’ Griffith Park; the collared P-22 could often be seen prowling the Hollywood Hills before the elderly cat’s 2022 euthanisation.
On the other hand, just over a year ago, former NFL player Derek Wolfe went viral for posing with a Colorado mountain lion he’d legally hunted. The Tom had been accused of killing local pets and otherwise terrorising a community, so Wolfe and a partner tracked it down and killed it with a bow and arrow. The 6’5” former Broncos defensive lineman held up the massive cat for a jaw-dropping picture; it looked as big as he did, and Wolfe estimated the lion weighed 195 pounds.
The two high-profile attacks this year have also raised questions about whether there could be some driving, common factor behind both terrifying episodes – or any explanation for the errant behaviour of predators who usually hunt alone, at night, and actively avoid human interaction.
The answer, it turns out, is probably not – though necropsy results will shed further light on whether the California cougar suffered from rabies or any condition that could fuel aggression. The Washington lion, nearly a year old, tested negative for rabies and appeared in good health, according to state wildlife officials. When it comes to attacks, it seems it’s often down to the mountain lion’s particular personality: Like humans, some are simply more aggressive than others.
“We do like to try to remember that they are individuals; they are not a uniform block of animals that always behaves the same,” T. Winston Vickers, director of UC Davis’ Mountain Lion Project, tells The Independent. “There is an individual nature, certainly, to each animal – and some are bolder, some are more aggressive but, by and large, people should certainly not think that, ‘Oh my gosh, something’s in the water.”
You have an individual animal that is a risk taker or is desperate or is simply given an opportunity that it can’t resist.
Along that vein, he compares the rarity of attacks by mountain lions – also known as cougars, pumas and panthers (yes, four common different names for the same animal) – to shark attacks.
Remind them you’re not a deer
Both of the recent strikes were by young male lions, who tend to be more curious and could be “not as successful hunting if … newly dispersed from the mother,” Vickers says. At the same time, though, studies have shown that female cougars are more likely to attack humans.
Utah State University’s David Stoner agrees that “there’s not a whole lot to draw upon other than, you have an individual animal that is a risk taker or is desperate or is simply given an opportunity that it can’t resist.”
Mule deer, as a primary food source for cougars, can often play a role here. Part of the advice for how to scare off a mountain lion – wave your arms to make yourself bigger, shout loudly, throw objects at the animal – serves a simple purpose: “To make it clear that you’re not a deer,” Vickers says.
Humans, however, are encroaching upon more and more of the habitats of both predator and prey as urban sprawl expands throughout the West. Stoner says he’s previously discussed a monitoring project with California authorities centred on the exact area where the brothers were tragically attacked last month. El Dorado County, he tells The Independent “is a very rapidly growing county” that’s become “a hotspot for conflicts with mountain lions”, though that’s usually centred on goats, sheep and livestock, not people.
The climate crisis impact
While it doesn’t seem to be an immediately obvious factor in the recent attacks, any dip in availability of deer as a food source can, undoubtedly, influence the animals’ behaviour.
In parts of the West, for example, the harsh winter “that ended a year ago was extraordinary,” Stoner says, including near his home “right about where Utah, Idaho and Wyoming come together.”
There were “huge die-offs of mule deer because of deep snows,” with the marked fawn survival rate on the management unit adjacent to the university at zero per cent last year, he says.
“Fawns are a major food resource for mountain lions, particularly the young, young animals that are not really good hunters yet – and for the females that have dependent kittens,” said Stoner. “This year, that whole cohort is missing. We also had very low adult survival. So there’s just less game on the landscape now than there was two years ago. Is this related? I can’t say.”
Studies have shown that wildfires can change mountain lion patterns, too – and both El Dorado County and the region of the Washington State cyclist attack have suffered fires in recent years.
That’s because wildfires decrease vegetation and wildlife, and therefore mountain lions are out and about looking further afield for food. Wildfires “increased behaviours associated with anthropogenic risk, including more frequent road and freeway crossings … and greater activity during the daytime (means from increased 10% to 16% of daytime active), a time when they are most likely to encounter humans,” researchers wrote in a paper published in the November 2022 issue of Current Biology, which looked at post-fire responses of a small sample of lions in Southern California. The paper also noted an increase of cougar space used and distance travelled post-fire.
But much that is known about mountain lions remains essentially guesswork, given how elusive they are.
“I’ve been studying these critters in the field for over 25 years, and I can count on one hand the numbers I’ve seen” them without tech tracking assistance, Stoner says.
According to the Mountain Lion Foundation, state game agencies have estimated mountain lion populations in the US to be between 20,000 and 40,000. Adult males usually weigh between 110 and 180 pounds, with females falling between the 80 and 130-pound range.
They’re kind of scaredy cats when it comes to how they react to people.
The animals can be legally hunted in 13 Western states; California has banned the practice unless a cougar has harmed pets or livestock.
“A couple centuries of persecution” may have prompted the lions’ evolutionary tendency to avoid humans, according to Vickers, the Mountain Lion Project’s lead wildlife veterinarian.
“We would be in deep doo-doo if they had the behaviours of, say, leopards or tigers or something and inclinations to see us as prey,” he says. “But they so rarely do. They’re kind of scaredy cats when it comes to how they react to people. When they do encounter them, they almost always just take off – either sneak away or run away or walk away, but they definitely try to go somewhere else.”
How to avoid attack
Despite that, however, there are various conditions that do increase the likelihood of human/lion conflict – and there are steps that can be taken to avoid it. Experts, poring over more than 100 years of documented attacks, published a comprehensive 2011 paper in scientific journal Human-Wildlife Interactions which found that simple things such as the presence of a dog can greatly reduce risk.
Alternatively, women and children were more likely to be pounced upon, given their smaller stature, as were victims in motion – like cyclists. In Washington State, in the same county as the February attack, a 3-year-old male mountain lion killed one 32-year-old and injured the victim’s companion in May 2019 when the pair were mountain biking along a dirt road. In that tragic case, the cyclist killed had also taken off running, which experts warn against.
“People who were moving quickly or erratically when an encounter happened (running, playing, skiing, snowshoeing, biking, ATV-riding) were more likely to be attacked and killed compared to people who were less active (25% versus 8% fatality)” the authors wrote. “Children (<10 years) were more likely than single adults to be attacked, but intervention by people of any age reduced odds of a child’s death by 4.6x.”
“What they will try to do is get as close as possible, a short rush, and then grapple the victim and bite to the neck or bite to the muzzle, sometimes to the top of the head, but usually on the back of the neck, the throat, or the muzzle,” he tells The Independent. “And the objective is to subdue the animal as quickly as possible, because a struggling animal that’s desperate and fighting for its life is very dangerous.
“But they will also adopt a hunting strategy in which they wait by a game trail or someplace with a lot of traffic and just wait for an opportunity,” he says. “So that’s where I think mountain bikers and hikers may be more vulnerable … they are in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
To avoid attacks, in addition to bringing dogs along, Vickers recommends carrying protection.
“Some people in some states are more likely to be carrying guns, but, for the average hiker, I think bear spray and a good hefty walking stick are a pretty good combo,” he says. “And I’ll throw out one other thing: Some people carry air horns, especially because sometimes, when a mountain lion is just sort of in that intensively interested stage, then having some other way to make intense noise that would not only startle them out of that maybe interested situation, but also alert other people could also be helpful.”
The Washington cyclists, for one, will be following that advice.
“We’re all going to carry a weapon, a knife, you know, because you can’t kill a cougar with sticks and stones,” Bergere, who spent five days in the hospital after the attack, told NPR last week.
“I am alive,” she continued. “I’m grateful and happy to be here and grateful to my ladies that are now my family.”
Seven things nobody tells you when your pet dies
Seven things nobody tells you when your pet dies
The death of a pet can hurt as much as the death of a person, here are seven things to remember as you navigate your grief
There are few things in life more painful than the death of a pet. Chances are that your fur friend was a fully-fledged member of your family who brought a great deal of joy to your home, and life without them may well be feeling unbearable right now.
If that weren’t hard enough, society often minimizes and diminishes the grief that comes with pet bereavement, which can leave you feeling even more isolated and alone. Yet for many of us, the death of a pet can feel even harder than the death of a human loved one.
Our pets offer us unconditional love, comfort, and affection. They stand faithfully by our side during times of joy and sorrow and provide us with the opportunity to experience a relationship where we don’t have to be anyone other than ourselves. We are loved by them simply for being who we are and we love them all the more because of that.
Very rarely is the death of a pet seen as a legitimate source of grief and yet it’s important you understand that whatever feelings you’re experiencing right now are real and valid. Below, we walk you through seven things nobody tells you when your pet dies that we hope will provide a sense of comfort and help you feel less alone.
1. You need time to grieve
While society may try to tell you otherwise, it’s important to remember that grief is a process, not a one-time event. In their moving book On Grief and Grieving, psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and death and grief expert David Kessler speak eloquently about the realities of losing a loved one.
“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not “get over” the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same. Nor would you want to!”
Kubler-Ross and Kessler made it clear that the grief that comes from the death of a pet is not as easily resolved as some would have us believe. It requires the same time, space, and attention as any other bereavement and cannot be rushed through.
For many of us, the death of those we love, whether human or animal, stays with us for our entire lives. We don’t grieve deeply and then pop out the other side of grief a few days or weeks later fully healed. Instead, we learn to grow our lives around our grief with the understanding that grief may continue to visit us in waves forever more.
We acknowledge that creating time to consciously grieve is easier said than done when you likely have other commitments to attend to, such as work or family. However, we recommend carving out some space each day to honor your grief, whether that’s a short walk outside in nature or 15 minutes spent with a cup of tea first thing in the morning before everyone else gets up.
2. It’s ok to feel all of your feelings
Grief is the price we pay for love. It is a natural reflection of life and can appear whenever we lose a relationship where we had feelings and attachments. Depending on how long your pet was in your life for, you likely spent hundreds if not thousands of hours with them building and nurturing a deep and loving bond.
And yet, many bereaved pet owners feel they need to hide their pain from those around them because the grief that comes from the death of a pet is a form of disenfranchised grief - a type of grief that society deems as ‘less than’ other forms of grief, such as that experienced by those who are grieving the death of a human loved one.
Statements such as ‘it was just a cat’, ‘it’s not like your dog was a person’, ‘you can always get another animal’, and ‘well, at least you still have your family’ are all incredibly unhelpful and can leave you feeling as if your grief is being judged by others to be unworthy.
Despite your best efforts, you may find yourself absorbing these messages and feeling like something is wrong with you for feeling sad. You may feel you need to get over your grief and move on. When you let these external voices in and judge yourself for how you’re grieving or the extent of your grief, you silence and betray your genuine feelings.
Give yourself permission to feel and honor all of your feelings. Whether you’re feeling grief, pain, regret, loneliness, anger, sadness, or any other strong emotion, let yourself feel your feelings and allow them to move through you. You may also have moments of feeling joy amidst your grief - allow yourself to feel this too. Doing so is not dishonoring your pet’s memory but is instead a recognition that grief and joy can coexist.
3. Grief isn’t just about death - it’s about loss
Many of us associate grief with an intense feeling of sadness associated with the death of a human loved one or pet. But what we don’t often realize is that we are not simply grieving our pet’s death - we’re grieving the loss of their physical presence in our daily lives.
Perhaps your pet slept beside you in bed. Maybe they were always curled up next to you while you were working. They could have been the one you cuddled with when you’d had a hard day or the one you played with when you were in need of some fun.
Think of your life as being a story that’s being built chapter by chapter. Your pet was likely an integral part of a good chunk of the story that has been your life so far and so you’re not just grieving their death, you’re also grieving the daily moments, rituals, and routines that made up your life together and the moments you may also have hoped to share with them in the future that are no longer a possibility.
4. Holding a ceremony and creating a memorial can help you to honor your pet
Grief used to be something we experienced as a community. In times gone by, a bereavement was seen as a time to come together and honor and attend to the many different types of grief that touch each of our lives. Today, much of this sense of togetherness has been lost and many of us are forced to navigate the terrain of grief in the absence of community.
Ritual remains an important and necessary part of the grieving process and we encourage you to consider conducting some form of ceremony to honor both your pet and the relationship that you shared together. This may be burying them under a tree in your back garden if you have the space to do this or scattering their ashes in a favorite spot. You may choose to read a poem, sing a song, or simply sit in quiet reflection with your thoughts.
Many people also find it helpful to create a memorial for their pet. For some, that might look like planting a tree, putting a bench in the garden with a plaque that dedicates that spot to their pet, or creating a sacred space in the home with some photos and personal items that belonged to their fur friend.
While creating a memorial may sound strange, in his book Continuing Bonds: New Understandings of Grief, psychologist Dennis Klass revealed that we don’t detach from those we love or leave them behind when they die but instead carry them with us throughout our lives. Having a space where you can talk to your pet, think about them, feel close to them, and stay attached to them may be viewed by society as pathological but these are natural, normal, and healthy behaviors for bereaved people to engage in.
5. Finding an outlet for your grief can help you heal
In the depth of grief, it can be hard to find the words to express to others how you feel. Perhaps you don’t have anyone you feel comfortable sharing your grief with or maybe those close to you want to be supportive but simply don’t know how. In times like these, it can be helpful to have other outlets we can fall back on that allow our feelings to be felt, expressed, and released.
Writing about your feelings and experiences in a journal is something that some people find very healing. A blank page can provide you with the opportunity to write about the life you and your pet shared together, what they meant to you and what emotions are coming up for you as you adjust to being without their physical presence.
If words don’t feel like the right creative outlet for you, other expressive arts may resonate more. Things like listening to music or singing are wonderful for facilitating the flow of emotions and drawing and painting allow us to visually express our internal landscape.
Other ideas include creating a collage using photos of you and your pet, tapping into the therapeutic benefits of gardening, doing a grief meditation or series of grief yoga poses, or turning to dance and theater, both of which allow you to embody and release your emotions through physical actions.
6. Seeking support is nothing to be ashamed of
You would be amazed how hard many pet parents are on themselves when they’re grieving the death of their pet. It’s incredibly common to hear people say things like ‘I shouldn’t be feeling this way’, ‘I should be over it by now’, or ‘they were just a dog/cat’. Minimizing your grief and trying to carry on as if your pet hasn’t died and your pain isn’t real, is to do yourself a huge disservice.
Depending on the relationship we shared with our pet and the relationships we have with the humans around us, the death of our animal companion may well feel more painful than the death of any person could. While you may feel most comfortable navigating your grief journey on your own, please know that there is no shame in reaching out to a licensed health professional for support.
The following directories can help you locate a therapist or counselor in your area:
- American Counseling Association
- Mental Health America
- UK Council for Psychotherapy
- British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy
The right therapeutic environment can help facilitate healing, providing you with a safe and secure space to share your feelings and have them held in a supportive way. You may find that having someone acknowledge and validate your feelings as legitimate gives you permission to do the same.
7. It’s worth taking some time before getting a new pet
It’s not unusual in the aftermath of your pet’s death to be told by well-meaning family and friends that you should simply go out and get another one. We often struggle to see those we love in pain and may see the suggestion to get a new pet as a way of alleviating some of that.
But the reality is, getting a new fur friend before you’ve had a chance to mourn the death of your old one is often a mistake. Even though your home may feel quiet and empty right now, you need time to unpack and process your emotions before trying to build a relationship with a new pet.
It’s important when you do feel ready to adopt a pet again that you try to avoid choosing one that looks a lot like your previous fur friend or is the same breed unless you feel certain that you won’t make comparisons. Every animal is unique and has their own personality and you both deserve the chance to build your own special bond that isn’t overshadowed by the one you shared with your previous pet.
There is no right or wrong way to grieve
Your grief journey will be unique and so it’s important you don’t put any pressure or expectations on yourself as to how things ‘should be.’
You are not ‘doing it wrong’ if you carry the grief of your pet’s death alongside the joy of your relationship with you for the rest of your life. Similarly, you’re not abnormal if you soon return to your pre-bereavement level of wellbeing.
Everyone processes grief in their own way and at their own pace. Be kind and gentle with yourself and trust what your body is telling you. We hope that the above words have helped to normalize what you may be feeling. Should you require further support, you may find the following organizations serve as a useful starting point:
- Association for Pet Loss and Bereavement offers a wealth of helpful information and also features a chat room and video support group
- Lap of Love offers pet loss courses and online support groups as well as a individual pet loss support sessions
- Rainbow Bridge Grief Support Center has a huge range of resources available, including chat rooms, forums, articles, and a list of pet loss hotlines.
Reference: Pets Radar: By published
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