6/20/2006: Baboon mother keeps dead offspring's body

[Undertoad]

xoB finds this gruesome item, via the site mentioned on the images, proof that sometimes nature's wires just get hopelessly crossed. This baboon mother's baby died, but the strong maternal bond did not; and so she keeps the body with her, even though it's now almost completely decomposed.



It seems to me that most animals recognize death and the, uh, filthy, disease-causing problems of having a decaying corpse around. But as a non-mom, a non-breeder entirely actually, I can't imagine the maternal bond and how it apparently goes beyond emotion... built-in, as it obviously is.