Why don't animals commit suicide?

[JadedBeing]

They know for sure what death is and can get depressed like humans, they can also be gay and we share so much else with them, but not suicidality? We are animals too i guess, so do we ctb just because we are smarter? Is it just there Survival Instinct that doesnt allow them to get the urge to ctb?

 

[indianachrome]

Deer commit suicide all the time trying to chase pussy

 

[JadedBeing]

Deer commit suicide all the time trying to chase pussy

But not intentionally i think?

 

[starboy2k]

I seen a video of a mouse in a fast food kitchen jump into frying oil because the employees were trying to catch it……..

 

[Defatigatis]

I believe that, in some cases, they indeed commit acts with the intention of dying.
The strongest example is that there are numerous reports of dogs refusing to eat or drink water after the death of their owners and dying shortly thereafter. Perhaps this could be considered "indirect suicide," still, i think it is suicide.

 

[mjolnir]

Self-destructive or life-ending behaviors exist in various species, but I don't know if we can call it suicide.

 

[ireallywasnttogopls]

i think u need high enough iq to be self-conscious / hyper aware of ur state to commit suicide

to the animal brain the one goal is to stay alive

 

[JadedBeing]

i think u need high enough iq to be self-conscious / hyper aware of ur state to commit suicide

to the animal brain the one goal is to stay alive

Yes, it has to be about IQ. I don't think they understand what death really means. They know and fear death like we do but they can't recognise that it is also an end to All suffering. They are like a Baby in their ability to think about stuff like that. A human Baby can experience the worst trauma but wont ctb because its not smart enough yet.

 

[Greyhawk]

According to the studies done of Hunter-gathers, suicide is very uncommon among them so I the reason to SH/CTB comes more from modern (post industrialization) society more than just high consciousness (Although I think that plays a part too). Chronic stress, lack of sleep and social isolation have all been increasing even tho the material well-being of mankind has improved.

 

[traingirl]

According to the studies done of Hunter-gathers, suicide is very uncommon among them so I the reason to SH/CTB comes more from modern (post industrialization) society more than just high consciousness (Although I think that plays a part too). Chronic stress, lack of sleep and social isolation have all been increasing even tho the material well-being of mankind has improved.

There was a guy who talked about this.. lol.
I agree wholeheartedly.

 

[trying ungracefully]

my grandpa had a monkey who hung itself. Could have been an accident but my grandpa thought suicide.

 

[wheelsonthebus]

Whales kill themselves, possibly.

I think there's also the other aspect of it which is that humans, being animals, fear suffering. If you weren't human with human knowledge and human means, what options would you have of a reliable and fast demise that you believed would work? Not many of us would throw ourselves at a mountain lion and I wouldn't expect a depressed animal to, either.

 

[irreparably_marred]

The dolphin, Kathy, who most often played the role of Flipper is said to have committed suicide. After the show ended, she was moved to a smaller tank with very little human interaction. Her trainer said that she sank to the bottom of her tank and chose to not resurface. There are other incidents as well of dolphins in captivity choosing to end their suffering.

 

[Dejected 55]

I think it is hard for us to decide for sure the motivations of any other species that we can't really communicate with... so while I couldn't say for sure, I would be surprised if there weren't incidents of animals non-human who committed suicide. I just don't know how you could say for sure.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I also wonder about this. Especially given how hard their lives must be. No thanks to us too- with how much we have destroyed their habitats.

I find it interesting that many suspected suicides amongst animals are those in captivity. Both from pets grieving their owners so intensely they pretty much VSED. But, also creatures like dolphins smashing their heads into their concrete enclosures.

There have been reports of tarsiers banging their heads against hard surfaces or apparently, even holding their breath until death- which I wouldn't have thought possible. Whether that is an extreme response to stress rather than a deliberate attempt to die though I suppose is harder to know.

I find it significant that animals in captivity seem more prone to possible acts of self harm and suicide. Not surprising- seeing as it's such an unnatural environment for them to be in. As it is for us. We're effectively born into captivity.

Of course, animals could be committing suicide in the wild and we simply haven't observed them. I tend to agree with you though. I'm not convinced that animals deliberately think about ending their lives the way we do.

Sometimes they do it instinctively though. A female octopus will stop eating after laying eggs and die sometimes as her babies are hatching. But, I suspect that's evolutions work- rather than a deliberate decision.

I definitely think some animals contemplate death- elephants, crows, whales, monkeys all exhibit behaviour to suggest they are curious about and even mourn death. I wonder whether that means they think about their own death though- beyond a natural instinct to avoid it.