Originally posted by Fox
The animal kingdom has many examples of an animal killing for pleasure, especially a domestic animal. My dog has killed birds, for example. There is no way he did it for food; it was an instinctive reaction on his part
It has been proved that domesticated animals (like humans), have corrupted instincts. If anything, studying domestic animals is a very good way of studying the effects of "civilization" on humans themselves. (I know that is a bit broad, but it is also one of the main principles of etology -the study of animal behaviour and its relation to humans-)

Originally posted byLaJan
...instinctually, the only things that kill their mates do it after being mated (like black widows).
It is also true, as in this case, that the effort of procreating may lead to the demise of one of the mates, either for food for the surviving mate or for protection against cannibalism of the offspring. (note that the whole objective here is procreation and continuation of the species, if not the individual).

Now for the big question... Can anyone see here a comparable need in humans?