In what appears to be a touching display of  animal kindness, a stray dog carefully buries the lifeless body of a dead puppy.

But an animal behaviour expert has given a  somewhat less sentimental account of the apparently selfless act – which has  been captured on film and become a viral hit on YouTube.

Peter Borchelt, a New York animal-behavior consultant, has said it was more likely that the dog was ‘burying dead  meat.’

But an animal behaviour expert has given a somewhat less  sentimental account of the apparently selfless act – which has been captured on  film and become a viral hit on YouTube

He told the Daily  Intelligencer: ‘I  think that this is a classic case of really interesting behavior —  sort of  unusual that somebody actually caught it on video — and we make a big deal out  of it, and it’s really cute and it sort of reminds us of  some of the things we  do.’

‘I suspect it was more likely just  caching  dead meat, rather than a soulful response to the demise of a  puppy that it  wanted to bury.’

Onlookers had watched in awe as the mongrel  circled and sniffed the lifeless puppy  after finding it in a ditch where it had been left to rot in the midday  sun.

But Mr Borchelt said it would be just as  ridiculous to assume a dog was ‘praying’ if it had been sat with his paws  folded, to think the dog was performing a touching burial for the young  puppy.

He said humans and animals have ‘two entirely  different  behavior systems.’

He did say the dog may not have returned to  eat the puppy, it was part of an innate instinct to bury the body – the same  instinct which sees dogs bury bones.

Onlookers had watched in awe as the mongrel circled and  sniffed the lifeless puppy after finding it in a ditch where it had been left to  rot in the midday sun

But Mr Borchelt said it would be just as ridiculous to  assume a dog was ‘praying’ if it had been sat with his paws folded, to think the  dog was performing a touching burial for the young puppy

Read more: DailyMail