Several viral instances in the past have proven how animals feel strong emotions towards the passing of their own kind and especially someone who was part of their close family or herd.
Whether the viral image of a mother monkey holding on and caressing the lifeless body of her child or a distressing video of a baby elephant rubbing his trunk and pushing his head towards the carcass of his mother – all these instances have showcased how animals too – love, hurt, mourn and fall into despair like us humans.
In a similar heart-wrenching footage, a herd of wild elephants in Sri Lanka was spotted gathering around the deceased leader of their group in order to pay their last respects.
The incident was filmed near the banks of a lake near Anuradhapura, after the herd leader died succumbing to the injuries brought upon him following a brutal fight with a rival male elephant in the nearby area.
It has previously been shown in researches, how Elephants too mourn the death of their loved ones by visiting their ‘grave sites’ for days, weeks and sometimes even years, circling the very site and caressing the spot with their trunks.
It was quite a moving sight to see the vast number of these amazing animals, pay their respect to their deceased partner, one last time..