Do Animals Have Emotions? Of Course They Do!

“Emotions are the gifts of our ancestors. We have them and so do they. No longer do we have to put words like happy or sad in quotation marks when we speak of animal emotions and animals’ inner lives. Animals will always have their mysteries but their emotional lives are public and transparent.” Do animals have emotions? Of course they do. Just look at them, listen to them, and if you dare, smell the odors that pour out when they interact with friends and foes. Look at their faces, tails, bodies, and most importantly, dare to look into their eyes. What we see on the outside tells us a lot about what’s happening inside animals’ heads and hearts. Animal emotions aren’t all that mysterious. When I first began my studies three decades ago asking the question ‘What does it feel like to be a...