In 2023, an African gray parrot named Jack went viral for mimicking the coughs and wheezes of her owner’s father, who often struggled to breathe from severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
But it wasn’t just the imitation that made Jack famous; it was also that she seemed to relish the suffering of a man she purportedly hated. In the video, Jack’s owner even claimed that she had a favorite cough.
The parrot appeared to be experiencing a complex emotion…