Where does the urge to care for an entirely different species actually come from?
Biologists keep catching monkeys and apes caring for other animals, challenging the idea that keeping pets is a uniquely human habit. In this piece from 31 July 2026, the central question goes beyond whether a macaque can adopt a chicken or a baboon can raise a puppy. It asks where the urge to live alongside other species actually comes from. If wild primates regularly seek out animal companions, the capacity for cross-species friendship might have been sitting in the primate family tree all along.
A report on a recent study cataloging more than 400 cases of wild and captive primates interacting with other animal species. The research groups these encounters into behaviors ranging from cross-species adoption to abduction, mapping a continuum from care to harm. The findings suggest that the behavioral traits required for human pet-keeping have older evolutionary origins.
Read at source: Defector
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