Do ducks grieve? I saw a duck in our local park with two tiny, fluffy ducklings, then one of the little ones was attacked by a group of bigger birds and pecked to death. The mother took the remaining duckling away and sat down as it continued to play. I kbnow they've not got the range of emotions and feelings that humans have, but surely they don't have the proverbial "goldfish" type of memory either. Has any research been done in this area?

I believe ducks can suffer. They experience pain in droughts, oil spills, lack of food and diseases. I do believe that ducks grieve for their young but not that long. Many times a mother duck will abandon eggs that are slow to hatch to concentrate on getting the others food, water and safety. A mother will protect live ducklings. She will respond frantically if someone tries to come near her babies. She may initially experience duck suffering but she quickly focuses her attention on the ones living. Its all a matter of survival.

Check out the link. They are sooooooooo cute!

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