Can other animals understand death? - Barbara J. King
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TEDEd Animation
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In 2018, an orca called Tahlequah gave birth. But her daughter died within an hour. Tahlequah, however, didn’t leave her body. Over the next 17 days and 1,600 kilometers, she kept it afloat atop her own. By altering her feeding and travel patterns, Tahlequah’s behavior was certainly unusual. But was she mourning— or just confused? Barbara J. King explores whether nonhuman animals experience grief.
What do you think is the significance of the fact that elephants from five different families came to view Eleanor’s body after she died?
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Meet The Creators
- Educator Barbara J. King
- Director Denis Chapon
- Narrator Susan Zimmerman
- Music Cem Misirlioglu, Greg Chudzik
- Sound Designer Cem Misirlioglu
- Producer The Animation Workshop
- Director of Production Gerta Xhelo
- Senior Producer Anna Bechtol
- Associate Producer Sazia Afrin
- Editorial Director Alex Rosenthal
- Script Producer Cella Wright
- Fact-Checker Charles Wallace
