Non-Human Animals Show Empathy. What Happened To Ours? According to Wikipedia, Empathy is defined as: the capacity to understand or feel what another being (a human or non-human animal) is experiencing from within the other being's frame of reference, i.e., the capacity to place oneself in another's position. In my recent research on animals, I've come across interesting concepts and theories. The most notable, the concept of empathy among other animal species. Scientists used to believe that only humans were capable of experiencing any emotions, most of all, empathy. However, we now know that elephants, dolphins, whales, chimpanzees, and a handful of other animals also demonstrate emotional reactions that appear to be "empathy" and a type of self-awareness. They are able to recognize themselves in the mirror, mourn the death of their young, and experience a wide range of emotions. Additionally, several species of animals have areas of their brains that are analogous to our emotional