Bonobos empathise, just like us.
Researchers have now discovered rare instances of female bonobos taking on the role of parent for unrelated orphan bonobos. Adoption like this is highly unusual in the wild. There are few examples of empathy in non-human animals. It does not tell us anything about consciousness per se. But it does tell us something about the extent and sophistication of bonobo emotions. It also tells us something about bonobo empathy. They are powerful drivers of behaviour since parenting is an energy-intensive occupation.
Link to article: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/apes-adopt-orphans-altruism-parenting-2rzqrp6n2
You may also like to browse other ethology posts: https://www.thesentientrobot.com/category/ethology/
