Danae Papageorgiou: Animals have a cultural heritage too

Animals have culture too. Or, more precisely, their own cultures, passed down from generation to generation, shaping how they cooperate, communicate and survive. Behavioural ecologist Danae Papageorgiou, head of the Emmy Noether research group at Humboldt University in Berlin, explains why this hidden side of wildlife deserves recognition as part of the world’s heritage. She has co-submitted a proposal to UNESCO on the need to protect animals’ cultural traditions.

Until recently we believed...