Baby elephant heartbroken over mother’s rejection cried for five hours
Posted on January 28, 2020
Key Points:
Zhuang Zhuang’s mother rejected him immediately after birth and tried to kill him, rare behaviour for a mother elephant.
Zhuang Zhuang cried with anguish for 5 hours, tears streaming from his red eyes and down his face.
There is solid evidence that elephants, like some other animals, cry tears of emotion.
Just like children, elephants need stable, comfortable surroundings in order to thrive psychologically. Rejection at birth may cause severe psychological distress.
Elephants show grief after the loss of a loved one, and they mourn the dead by touching the bones or circling the body.
“Life is very vivid to animals. In many cases, they know who they are. They know who their friends are and who their rivals are. They have ambitions for higher status. They compete. Their lives follow the arc of a career like ours do. – Wildlife author, Carl Safina
