Random Touching Animal Death Rituals That Will Make You Tear Up (12 items)

• 

  (#4) Gorillas Bury The Bodies Of Their Dead

  Gorillas are another social species that develops strong attachments within their family group. When a family member dies, the primates usually show various signs of interest and stress. Gorilla family members may gently pat and touch a dead ape, and may even bury the body with leaves. In some cases, mother gorillas have been known to carry around their dead infants with them for days or even weeks, protecting the body from carrion scavengers. As the body slowly decomposes, the mother will eventually lay it to rest, but may remain depressed for a while longer.
• (#8) Dolphins Will Try To Wake Up Their Dead Podmate And Will Carry Their Body

  When a member of a dolphin family dies, the entire pod can become extremely emotional. They often poke the deceased member gently with their snouts examining the body and aggressively safeguarding it against predators. In the event a calf dies, mother dolphins have been known to stay with the decaying body for 30 minutes or even up to a few days. They often carry the baby gently in their jaws and protect it from being eaten by predators as it begins to float to the surface.
• 

  (#5) Sea Lions Moms Who Loose A Pup Will Cry Out For Days

  Sea lions are generally solitary animals, often coming together only to mate and brood. However, the strong bonds sea lion mothers share with their offspring is genuinely deep. When a predator kills a pup, the mother sea lion becomes severely emotional and distraught. Often, she will cry out and moan for days over the loss of her baby. In cases where a pup is born stillborn, the mother will remain close beside the body for days often cuddling, nuzzling, and calling out sorrowfully to the carcass.
• 

  (#1) Elephants Mourn For Weeks, Visiting The Graves Of Their Loved Ones

  When elephants perform their death rituals, the herd generally surrounds the deceased body while nudging and fondling the carcass gently and swaying back in forth in an agitated, depressed state. The elephant mourning process can last for weeks, as the animal will often keep vigil over the dead animal’s remains and revisit their grave sites continuously.

  In addition, elephants are an extremely sensitive species when it comes to death. Aside from mourning for their close-knit relatives, various cases reveal that elephants often mourn for unrelated elephant families as well as out-of-species creatures. Such as the case of Tarra, the elephant who mourned for the death of her small canine companion named Bella.
• 

  (#9) When A Goose's Mate Dies, It Becomes Depressed - Losing Weight And Avoiding Others

  Geese are one creature that commits themselves to having only one mate for life. This strong bond often means the death of a partner will take a severe toll on the surviving bird. While grieving, geese are often known to stay with the body if it’s present. They will gently preen its feathers and sleep beside it for days.

  In addition, the mourning process on geese rigorous which often involves the bird to lose its appetite, drops weight and avoid its flock. Eventually, a goose may find a new partner, which is usually another goose who has lost its mate as well. However, there have been some observations of geese attaching themselves to other types of species for companionship, including human beings.
• 

  (#2) Mother Chimps Carry And Mourn Their Young For Weeks

  When it comes mourning the loss of a dead family member, chimpanzees share similar characteristics as gorillas. Often, a chimp family gathers and circles around their deceased. They may holler, pace, sniff, and touch the body, often moving the limbs into various positions.

  In the case of an infant’s death, mother chimps carry the baby’s body around for weeks, sometimes months. As a mother chimp mourns, she often continues to care, protect, and communicate with the body. Additionally, a young chimp mourning the loss of their mother is especially heart-wrenching. The young chimp often becomes severely depressed, and they might refuse to leave their mother's body, eventually starving to death. 

New Random Displays    Display All By Ranking