Rare Footage: Wild Elephants “Mourn” Their Dead | National Geographic

Two weeks after the death of their matriarch, Victoria, wild elephants in Samburu National Reserve in northern Kenya continue to visit her remains and display unique behaviors seen only in their species. This video shows groups of elephant families using their trunks to touch and explore Victoria's carcass while standing peacefully in place. This rarely seen event is giving researchers insight into the elephants' social relationships. Though the researchers are hesitant to call this behavior "mourning," they do believe elephants display a specific reaction in response to the death of one of their own.

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VIDEOGRAPHER: Shifra Goldenberg/Save the Elephants
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER: Jed Winer
EDITOR: Jennifer Murphy

Rare Footage: Wild Elephants “Mourn” Their Dead | National Geographic

National Geographic

[killlamas]

So if they do mourn, would that suggest that they have some form of understanding about their mortality as if they value their life? That's pretty sentient actually.

[Irishlass]

Why is so hard for others to believe that a non human species has an emotional reaction

[ItsYKitty]

It’s so beautiful how elephants value themselves as a species

[MilkScrew]

Elephants not only mourn, they mourn everyone that they grow attached to emotionally, from humans to dogs to other elephants. If they loved it, they will not only mourn it, and mourn HARD, they will also create graves that they will visit and also have an emotional response to when they re-visit it at a later date.

[BananaMike]

elephants react to their own kind dying so differently than other animals do, they seem to have a much better understanding of death than most. Even other intelligent animals might try to coax a dead body to react or get up, but they seem to know thats not gonna happen, and they'll visit the body repeatedly, sometimes long after there's nothing left but bones, no other animals do that besides humans visiting gravesites.

[Huntress_Hannah]

They are clearly mourning. This is heartbreaking

[davidsandlin]

To me that fact that they do this in spite of the possible dangers it presents (disease, possible predation) shows that there has to be some sort of emotional response going on. If it was strictly just curiosity they would have evolved to avoid that risk. I doubt they stop and caress other dead animal corpses this way. In my opinion emotion is the one thing that can cause animals to disregard their own safety and act counter intuitively.

[angeliquelife]

Seems like a funeral procession and a viewing of the dead. Very emotional response for a animal, never seen anything like it.

[buffalotitan]

I learned from a Scientist at the Baltimore zoo that Elephants have 50x the memory capacity that a Human does. They remember every moment, of every second of the day from the time they are born, til the time they pass. They remember their own birth. They also have a resonating chamber to communicate. This resonating sound can be heard by other Elephants up to 15 miles away. Elephants being as smart as they are, also Love unlike any other Animal in the Kingdom. Some are even said to pass away from being so heartbroken. Which would mean they feel deep emotions. Seeing them Mourn is just another sign of how intelligent these beautiful Animals are. I think there's so much that Humans can learn from them. I'd be interested to see a Dolphin and Elephant in the same area, and see how they react to eachother. They are both clearly very intelligent, so it wouldn't be far fetched to see if they establish some sort of relationship.

[gabrielegenota]

Elephants literally crying in front of their dead grandmas and they be like

"Idk if they're mourning"

[wolves]

A good zoologist knows that you have to be careful about jumping to conclusions, especially since most of us want to humanize other animals behavior, however I'd say its safe to say that this body has brought about emotion in the elephants. They likely understand that they will never see this individual again. Chimpanzees are also capable of mourning, so I'd say this is a pretty solid hypothesis.

[zunedog]

Expert: Can't say if it's mourning

National Geographic: Elephants mourn their dead

[fridaber]

Of course it's mourning, elephants are highly intelligent, sentient animals with emotios.

[jhunreyserdinacorrales]

This is why i have high respect with elephants i love them.

[brianmujica]

0:53 I'm using headphones and I literally felt the mosquito

[britters]

Its definitely mourning, the way they move and hold their body is subdued and heavy looking and slow, instead of the regular powerful movement with purpose after coming in contact with the body.

[oliverbundgaardterp]

Poor matriarch She was a Wonder full grandmother aunt sister mother and a good Leader She Was a good Elephant

[logandefelice]

the way the elephant stops in its tracks upon realizing what it's walking past at 2:30 tells me all I need to know personally

[michaelwright]

I’ve read a number of books on animal cognition. It is the absolute height of arrogance to assume we are the only species who feel emotion (in a cognitive sense, not just the fight or flight response, for example). We all watch each other in our lives and from that watching recognise what the other is doing or feeling. Animals and is watching animals are no different.

[FellowTravelerVlog]

The elephant is literally crying over their dead grandma. Leave them alone. They’re having a funeral