I was reading about elephants recently. It's pretty much understood at this point that elephants are way, way smarter than we have historically given them credit for, and not just in a I-can-use-this-stick-to-get-termites kind of way -- emotionally smart, and complex. It sounds so fucking patronizing but this is where we are: only admitting other animals shouldn't be slaughtered for fun and profit when we can see them, dimly, as sort of humanish.
There's a story in this book about an elephant herd tramping its way across a forest. Suddenly they stop, circle round for a few minutes and stand in silence, then move on. Why? It's not immediately obvious. But then researchers who were tracking the herd the previous year remembered: that's the spot one elephant had given birth to a stillborn calf.
The amazing thing here isn't that the mother remembered. It's not that the herd stopped. It's that not a single member of the herd, during their two minutes of silence, was like, "Hey, come on, I'm thirsty, aren't you over it yet? let's go."
It isn't impressive that elephants can think and feel. It's sad that humans can't do better.
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