Do monkeys cry?

**Tonya** · 02-25-2004, 11:24 PM

Ok, this is a wierd question. I don't know what put it in my head, but it has been eating at me all day for some lame reason. I'm putting it in general so that enough people read it for me to get an answer. lol.

I know that monkeys, gorillas, apes, whatever have feelings. But do they actually cry when they are upset? Do tears actually come out?

**amoore** · 02-25-2004, 11:38 PM

I don't know. That is a good question! Tray52 could answer that. She has a monkey named Mario.

**trayi52** · 02-26-2004, 12:12 AM

Wow, do monkeys cry? Well all I can tell you is about Mario, he is a capuachin monkey. He got very depressed after his mate died. He seem to whimper about her being gone. It has took him a while, but he seems better now, but demands a lot more of our attention.

It seems as if I did see tears in his eyes, when she died. We were all a mess of course. Tried to comfort Mario, he stayed in his house a lot for the first couple of weeks. He was the saddest little fellow. But, God that is a hard question. If you could just meet Mario face to face and look into those so human eyes, and hold his little hands. I think about how he grieved for Bugger, when she died, and it just about makes me cry. Thats when we gave him his freedom. He is back to being happy, coming back in the house. Stealing us blind of food in the cabinets, drinks, candy, and COOKIES!

I would love to find him another mate, but those guys are so very expensive! It is unreal, the price they ask for them. The price has tripled to what we paid for him and Bugger.

**CathyBogart** · 02-26-2004, 02:01 AM

Yes they do. You know what's interesting that I just learned last week....elephants have a duct behind their eye that secretes a liquid very similar to tears when they are emotionally distressed.

**Cookiebaker** · 02-26-2004, 05:37 AM

Willie, can we *PLEASE* see pictures of Mario??? I didn't even know you HAD a monkey 'til the signature request!!

Thankyou!!!!!!

**trayi52** · 02-26-2004, 10:07 AM

I bumped the thread up, it in pet general and was started by aly.

Go Here

**leslie flenner** · 02-26-2004, 08:37 PM

re: elephants in post above- Hence the book "When Elephants Cry". The author's name I do not have in front of me but it came out about 8 years ago. Subject is on animals and emotions (obviously!!).
About the ape family in particular, you should go to koko.org and ask Penny. She has been with gorillas for 30+ years now. I remember in one of the koko documentaries seeing her wail and wail over losing her 1st male companion, Michael, who she refused to mate with but they had a relationship that was important enough to her that it hurt her deeply. She dragged his blankets into her bed and lay with them for I don't know how long.
Same when her kitten died (cat by then i think), she wailed this horribly heartbreaking wail all night long.....it's clear that they feel emotional pain as we do. But, oddly enough, I've never seen or heard a discussion about actual tears! I encourage you to ask Penny about gorillas! Very Good Question!