Do Animals Feel Romantic Love?

[HeIsRisen2018]

With Valentines Day coming up really soon (which is just another day to me because my fiancee currently isn't around to share it with me ) it really made me start to wonder if animals can feel love like we can. I mean sure they can feel love, but is the fact that they have sexual intercourse to multiply based on love or instinct?

 

[Tessa]

Yes I believe it's instinct to multiply. Argument against that is lots of species of birds mate with one partner for life
I think some foxes do too. Other animals may do but I don't know which ones.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Yes I believe it's instinct to multiply. Argument against that is lots of species of birds mate with one partner for life
I think some foxes do too. Other animals may do but I don't know which ones.

Yeah, that's the thing you brought up a really good point. If romance doesn't exist in the animal kingdom then why do some animals mate for life? Sounds to me like some of those animals have a way better love life than humans.

 

[Tessa]

A magpie was once killed in my garden. It was during the night. It's partner cried and screamed for hours. It was heart breaking to hear. The bird didn't stop until I moved the dead one the next morning

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

A magpie was once killed in my garden. It was during the night. It's partner cried and screamed for hours. It was heart breaking to hear. The bird didn't stop until I moved the dead one the next morning

I never heard of a magpie but that is incredibly heartbreaking. You can't tell me that isn't love though so case closed after that one. Poor thing!

 

[Boaz]

With Valentines Day coming up really soon (which is just another day to me because my fiancee currently isn't around to share it with me ) it really made me start to wonder if animals can feel love like we can. I mean sure they can feel love, but is the fact that they have sexual intercourse to multiply based on love or instinct?

What IS romantic love anyway??!!
I think animals feel love for us the way we do for them. They Feel it, no name for it with them, we are the ones who call it love. They are attached to us. Trust us. Depend on us. They like it, and in their own way, whatever that is, they reciprocate. The procreation thing in instinct. God made them that way.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

What IS romantic love anyway??!!
I think animals feel love for us the way we do for them. They Feel it, no name for it with them, we are the ones who call it love. They are attached to us. Trust us. Depend on us. They like it, and in their own way, whatever that is, they reciprocate. The procreation thing in instinct. God made them that way.

I still think they feel some kind of emotion for their mates though. Otherwise how could have Tessa's story occurred if they felt nothing for them?

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

Also, how do they pick out their mates in the first place then?

 

[Boaz]

A magpie was once killed in my garden. It was during the night. It's partner cried and screamed for hours. It was heart breaking to hear. The bird didn't stop until I moved the dead one the next morning

They certainly recognize and feel loss. We would call that love so I guess that's what it is.
Tessa. Don't tell anymore stories like that! ☺ Or preface it with a disclaimer NOT FOR THE TENDER HEARTED. In my heart it felt like I was there!

 

[Boaz]

I still think they feel some kind of emotion for their mates though. Otherwise how could have Tessa's story occurred if they felt nothing for them?

See my reply to Tessa.

 

[HeIsRisen2018]

See my reply to Tessa.

Yeah I know, I just saw it lol and it truly is heartbreaking indeed. Anybody who says that animals don't grieve are crazy.

 

[Boaz]

Also, how do they pick out their mates in the first place then?

Oh I agree with you. When I used to take Boaz (the dog) to the dog park he fell head over heels in love with a Bassat Hound named Belle. And it had nothing to do with mating. He couldn't wait to see her in the mornings and he wouldn't stop kissing her. Belle didn't exactly like this. She tended towards the grumpy side. Eventually she would try and growl him away. He would back off, crying and wagging his tail, then go back in to give more sloppy kisses. But I noticed that with all the dogs at the park, some he liked, some he tolerated, others he ignored. Bella he loved. But dogs at least form likes and dislikes, just like people's.

 

[Not_Now.Soon]

On the topic of instinct, who's to say that love isn't instinct before it matures from a lasting relationship. The things I've heard about love in it's initial stages make it sound like we shut off our reasoning and go in blind for a while. Blind love's a stage in the relationship, ignoring or not seeing the things that would normally bug you, that then is followed up with whatever lasted through that stage that people hold on to and love a person in spite of their faults.

On that kind of outlook, initial love and instinct seem to be very close. I'd say animals are able to love just as deeply and fully as people do. If instinct is part of it for animals, then it's likely part of it for people too,

 

[Corn Pop]

I seen this programme the other day and the male bird had to do 10 different dance moves over about half and hour just to try impress the female, and if the female bird was interested after the dude just possibly wasted it's time because they can get rejected it will then fly onto the males branch and then it is seriously one second of mating, then it's all over and they seperate.