Rationing ravens to merciful monkeys: can animals be altruistic?

Is there a conscious generosity in how ravens or bats share food, or monkeys or elephants save others, or is it simply the selfish instinct of group survival?Bernd Heinrich was on a hike through the woods of New England when he observed something which would go on to change our perception of animal psychology.A group of ravens had gathered to feed on a dead moose. But rather than choosing to keep the bounty for themselves, they were making a strange call, one which seemed to be deliberately attr