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Altruism is a type of behavior in which an animal sacrifices its own interest for that of another animal or group of animals.The Merriam Webster dictionary defines altruism as "behavior by an animal that is not beneficial to,or harmful to,itself,but that benefits others of its species".
Examples of altruism abound,both among humans and other mammals.unselfish acts among humans range from sharing meals with relatives and even to strangers.such acts are altruistic in nature,in that they benefit another,yet provide little reward to the one performing the act.
A Meerkat is an example.it is a mammal that dwells in burrows of grassland in Africa.In group of meerkats ,an individual acts as a sentinel or a guard determinely watching the surrounding area for imminent danger.These threats come in form of other gangs e.g martial eagles or on occasion ,a bat-eared fox who has woken up a little early for a night of hunting.
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When danger presents itself,the sentinel calls out to the rest of the gang which heads for bolt-holes for quick cover.By standing guard ,the sentinel gains nothing -it goes without food while the others eat,and its places itself in grave danger.After it issues an alarm,it has to flee alone,which might make it more at risk to a predator ,since animals in groups are often able to work together to fend off a predator.
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However,according to BBC (1999),Sentinels was in the best position to escape. Also,sentinel meerkats eat before they stand guard,that is,they are on a full stomach. Since the sentinel is the first to see a predator coming,its the first to run away and can easily hide,while the other meerkats group would be in danger because they are scattered.It also shows that the sound made by the sentinel may draw the attention of the predator away from it,thereby ensuring its own safety.
The above example of the sentinel meerkats can be likened to human beings.Suppose a person donates a kidney to a stranger or a relative,it might be considered altruistic,but the person recieves appreciation from the stranger and family and also commendation from the society.The person might also even recieve a reward for donating the kidney.
In Conclusion,humans and animals cannot be considered to be truly altruistic .They only do things for their selfish interests.