In our world, only humans are recognized as having the right to express emotions, but tears appear in the eyes of cats, dogs, and wild animals precisely when they experience pain or stress. This fact suggests that animals cry too.
The most striking example is beavers. They mourn the loss of their young, their mate, or their home. Eyewitnesses report the sobs of an otter whose baby was eaten by a shark. Bullfighters claim to have seen bulls cry during bullfights.
Dogs cry from pain and longing.
Cats' tears mean that they are physically ill.
Even horses can cry when they are in pain.
A baby elephant cries because of separation from its mother.
Tears of a cow destined for slaughter.
The photographer captured the tears of a llama.
And this is a seal crying.
But a crocodile sheds tears not from an excess of emotion, but as a result of the compression of its lacrimal glands while eating its prey.
Zoologists most often attribute animal crying to instincts and poorly functioning excretory organs. But perhaps the emotional component of these tears will someday be recognized.
