Grieving elephants nudge and nuzzle their dead friend with their trunks in heart-breaking footage
- The elephants march towards their friend in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
- The herd stop by the animal and stare at its motionless body lying in the field
- They gently nudge their friend and rest their trunks onto the creature's skin
This is the heart-breaking moment a herd of grieving elephants mourn the loss of their deceased friend.
During the newly-released footage, which was captured in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania, the elephants march towards their friend in scenes reminiscent of a 'funeral procession' before gathering around the animal's motionless body.
The herd of elephants gently nudge their friend, who died of unknown causes, and rest their trunks on the dead animal's body as they pay their respects.
The grieving elephants march towards their dead friend laying in Serengeti National Park, Tanzania
The herd gather around the animal's motionless body and stare at their dead companion lying on the ground
The elephants gently nudge their friend's motionless body and lay their trunks on the creature's skin
During the extraordinary scene, the elephants lead a march towards their dead friend before stopping near its body.
The herd circle around the elephant's body and stare at their dead companion as vultures watch on from a nearby tree.
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As more elephants continue to gather around the dead creature, one is seen pressing its head into the animal's skin while another lays its trunk on the animal's body.
After raising their trunks in the air and 'saluting' their dead friend, the herd slowly make their way to the edge of the field.
One elephant rests its trunk on the skin of the dead creature as the animals pay their respects
The herd circle around the elephant's body and press their heads against their dead friend
One elephant stands over the dead animal in a protective manner before more elephants approach their friend
As the herd move away, one elephant remains by the dead animal's side and keeps its trunk pressed on the animal's body.
This is not the first time elephants have been filmed grieving the loss of a loved one.
Earlier this month, heart-breaking footage uploaded to Twitter by Indian Foreign Service forest ranger Parveen Kaswan showed a herd of elephants carrying the body of a dead calf across a road in India.
According to Smithsonian Institution, the world's largest museum, education and research complex, elephants often mourn their dead relatives and are known to take a great interest in the bones of their deceased.
As the extraordinary scenes take place, vultures watch the heartbreaking moment from a nearby tree
Do elephants grieve?
An elephant calf tries to wake up its dead mother in Odisha, east India
Whether or not elephants grieve for their lost herd members is a question scientists have been trying to answer.
As the animals live in tight herds and have long lifespans they form strong bonds between each other. When one dies, it is possible that the rest of the herd could mourn their death.
The Smithsonian Institution, which is the world's largest museum, education and research complex, says that elephants are known to take a great interest in the bones of their deceased, and to mourn for dead relatives.
In 2016 a video of three different elephant families visiting the body of a dead matriarch and repeatedly smelling and touching the corpse was shared by a doctoral student.
It suggested that the animals may have had a deep emotional connection with the body and may have been experiencing grief.
Another video from this year shows the heart-breaking moment a baby elephant is seen trying to wake up its mother, who had collapsed and died after wandering into a village in India.
The small calf was using its trunk to stroke the mother's head as she lay motionless in Odisha, east India.
Source: Smithsonian.com
