Elephants intuiting a human friend's death !

[Ajay0]

I recently came across an interesting story of a South African conservationist named Lawrence Anthony. He was known for his conservatory work amongst elephants.

It is said that just after Lawrence's death in his house, a group of elephants marched their way to his house for 12 hours, and hung around for two days before making their way to the bush.

https://protectallwildlifeblog.com/2021/08/01/when-the-elephants-came-to-mourn-the-elephant-whisperer/

Quote

 

” For two days the herds loitered at Anthony’s rural compound on the vast Thula Thula game reserve in the South African KwaZulu — to say good-bye to the man they loved. But how did they know he had died?

 

Imho, I think , considering this case study, animals are somehow capable of intuiting the state of close friends and responding accordingly. 

 

Edited December 20, 2023 by Ajay0

[Grim Reaper 6]

25 minutes ago, Ajay0 said:

I recently came across an interesting story of a South African conservationist named Lawrence Anthony. He was known for his conservatory work amongst elephants.

It is said that just after Lawrence's death in his house, a group of elephants marched their way to his house for 12 hours, and hung around for two days before making their way to the bush.

https://protectallwildlifeblog.com/2021/08/01/when-the-elephants-came-to-mourn-the-elephant-whisperer/

Imho, I think , considering this case study, animals are somehow capable of intuiting the state of close friends and responding accordingly. 

 

I think you’re right, especially Elephants because they also like humans have places where they go to die and when an Elephant dies other members of the herd return and visit their dead friends/herd members. To my knowledge elephants are the only animal besides mankind that practices these rituals.

Great thread I enjoyed it very much.

[papageorge1]

Yes, I believe animals can be psychically entuned with humans they become close to. This is an ability not understood by current science.

Edited December 20, 2023 by papageorge1

[eight bits]

3 hours ago, Grim Reaper 6 said:

To my knowledge elephants are the only animal besides mankind that practices these rituals.

Great thread I enjoyed it very much.

My intuition is that animals in general understand death about as well as we do. Let us not forget on this very site how much  humans can debate the nature of death: the end, full stop; the end of one thing and the beginning of another; a respite before reincarnation, ... whatever.

If we humans are the gold standard for understanding, then we as a species set a low bar when it comes to understanding death.

I think so much is known about elephant mourning because elephants are very difficult to ignore.

I know that dogs mourn (for other dogs, for us, for other species who were friends, ...). My go-to example is this:

https://uncertaintist.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/thinking-that-a-dog-remembers-her-dead/

I can add to that something curious: so far as I know, I am the only one who noticed that Clea was doing anything worthy of note. I didn't live with her; the people who saw her every day for years (and who ultimately gave the dragon to their daughter's dog) seem to have been oblivious. Clea seemed very pleased when I did notice.

I don't know why so many people neglect the behavior of dogs - except when they make a racket or a mess. I'm pretty sure, however, that no matter what an elephant does, it's difficult not to notice.

[Grim Reaper 6]

6 minutes ago, eight bits said:

My intuition is that animals in general understand death about as well as we do. Let us not forget on this very site how much  humans can debate the nature of death: the end, full stop; the end of one thing and the beginning of another; a respite before reincarnation, ... whatever.

If we humans are the gold standard for understanding, then we as a species set a low bar when it comes to understanding death.

I think so much is known about elephant mourning because elephants are very difficult to ignore.

I know that dogs mourn (for other dogs, for us, for other species who were friends, ...). My go-to example is this:

https://uncertaintist.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/thinking-that-a-dog-remembers-her-dead/

I can add to that something curious: so far as I know, I am the only one who noticed that Clea was doing anything worthy of note. I didn't live with her; the people who saw her every day for years (and who ultimately gave the dragon to their daughter's dog) seem to have been oblivious. Clea seemed very pleased when I did notice.

I don't know why so many people neglect the behavior of dogs - except when they make a racket or a mess. I'm pretty sure, however, that no matter what an elephant does, it's difficult not to notice.

Hey my friend it very good to hear from you. I used Elephants because they honor their dead and even continue to visit where died for years after the death. But, I also agree with you because I have actually seen a dog mourn itself because it would not eat or water, after the owner died. So yea i see your point and I agree with you.

[Alchopwn]

Animals can smell death on people.  So can my buddy's introvert girlfriend.  (No, she's not a dog.)

[pellinore]

3 hours ago, Alchopwn said:

Animals can smell death on people.  So can my buddy's introvert girlfriend.  (No, she's not a dog.)

A lot of us (humans) can smell terminal cancer- I can.

The story about the elephants is nice but I am sceptical- they may have realised if he was very close (physically) to them, and there were other cues such as distressed humans, but a 12-hour march away is crediting them with telepathy...

The version of the story below says: After his death, although they were not alerted to the event, a group of wild elephants Anthony helped to rescue and rehabilitate travelled to his house...

So, no one told them he had died? That is crediting them with understanding English as well.

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight | UPDATE: Elephants Who Appeared To Mourn Their Human Friend Remain Protected (cbc.ca)

Edited December 20, 2023 by pellinore

[Alchopwn]

17 hours ago, pellinore said:

A lot of us (humans) can smell terminal cancer- I can.

The story about the elephants is nice but I am sceptical- they may have realised if he was very close (physically) to them, and there were other cues such as distressed humans, but a 12-hour march away is crediting them with telepathy...

The version of the story below says: After his death, although they were not alerted to the event, a group of wild elephants Anthony helped to rescue and rehabilitate travelled to his house...

So, no one told them he had died? That is crediting them with understanding English as well.

George Stroumboulopoulos Tonight | UPDATE: Elephants Who Appeared To Mourn Their Human Friend Remain Protected (cbc.ca)

They are presently training dogs to do smell based diagnoses.  I imagine elephants have pretty good noses too

[Ajay0]

Going through some of Lawrence Anthony's sayings from his books, I found some which were in sync with the above incident...

https://www.goodreads.com/author/quotes/231944.Lawrence_Anthony?page=1
 

Quote

“The wrong way to go about this is to say: Well, researchers have ‘proved’ that animals only understand fifty words or something similarly absurd. Or that communication with other species is an illusion. Communication is not the preserve of humans; it is the one thing that is truly universal.”

“Years later I was in the Sudan on a conservation project when I heard an incredible story on good authority that sounded similar to my own. During the twenty-year war between northern and southern Sudan elephants were being slaughtered both for ivory and meat and so large numbers migrated to Kenya for safety. Within days of the final ceasefire being signed, the elephants left their adopted residence en masse and trekked the hundreds of miles back home to Sudan. How they knew that their home range was now safe is just another indication of the incredible abilities of these amazing creatures.”

 

 

Edited December 21, 2023 by Ajay0

[pellinore]

1 hour ago, Alchopwn said:

They are presently training dogs to do smell based diagnoses.  I imagine elephants have pretty good noses too

You might be right, I've done a quick Google and elephants apparently have the most sensitive noses in the animal world, better even than moths (which can detect scent over 6 miles away).  But a 12-hour march puts the elephants about 50 miles away - that's a lot to detect a scent.

[eight bits]

41 minutes ago, pellinore said:

You might be right, I've done a quick Google and elephants apparently have the most sensitive noses in the animal world, better even than moths (which can detect scent over 6 miles away).  But a 12-hour march puts the elephants about 50 miles away - that's a lot to detect a scent.

Intending no offense, I think many humans discount the intelligence of animals, perhaps because of investment in beliefs about how human intelligence is "what sets humans apart from the animals" and the apparent need of some people to see themselves as being set apart somehow.

Impending death changes a person's routine, and the routine of those around them, in innumerable ways. The death itself causes further changes in activity that unfold in the context of the earlier changes. God forbid that the elephants had figured out that their friend was dying, and that when the time came, that his death had taken place.

BTW, how far away 12 hours' march places the elephants depends on many things. The point of the story is that they weren't "close by" at the moment of crisis, but just how far away they were cannot be precisely inferred from the information available, IMO.

ETA It is not in evidence that the elephants began marching because the death had already occurred. It suffices that the elephants believed that death was in some sense "near" combined with the goal of being there to support a friend in need. From their perspective, they might have thought themselves too late.

Edited December 21, 2023 by eight bits

[lightly]

10 hours ago, pellinore said:

You might be right, I've done a quick Google and elephants apparently have the most sensitive noses in the animal world, better even than moths (which can detect scent over 6 miles away).  But a 12-hour march puts the elephants about 50 miles away - that's a lot to detect a scent.

Not surprising if size is any indication of sensitivity?;      @eight bits,  Said “no matter what an elephant does, it's difficult not to notice.”  So true.   Although I’ve also heard,  it can be easy to  ‘miss an elephant in the room’      I’m a cat person, they just know things sometimes…how do I know this?  I just do.     🥰

[Tatetopa]

I read the Lawrence Anthony  book.  It was great.

Crows also seem to gather and mourn their dead. 

[Occupational Hubris]

10 minutes ago, Tatetopa said:

I read the Lawrence Anthony  book.  It was great.

Crows also seem to gather and mourn their dead. 

Lots of animals have been observed mourning their dead. Various monkey and ape species, dogs, cats, whales, giraffes, the list goes on and on. 

[Ajay0]

Elephant visits hospital to bid emotional farewell to its ailing caretaker: 

https://thedailyguardian.com/viral-news/elephant-visits-hospital-for-heartfelt-goodbye-to-its-ailing-caretaker-watch/

https://www.msn.com/en-in/entertainment/bollywood/watch-elephant-visits-terminally-ill-caretaker-at-hospital-for-final-goodbye-viral-video-leaves-netizens-in-tears/ar-AA1yGhUx

https://www.hindustantimes.com/trending/elephant-visits-hospital-to-bid-emotional-farewell-to-its-ailing-caretaker-a-bond-beyond-words-101739024888673.html

Quote

 

The moving video begins with the gentle giant standing at the entrance of a hospital room. As soon as it enters, the elephant carefully approaches the patient lying on the bed. Displaying remarkable intelligence and sensitivity, the animal lowers itself onto the floor—perhaps due to the low ceiling height—before extending its trunk towards the elderly man. The moment is filled with emotion as the elephant lovingly tries to wake him up. 

 

 

Edited February 10 by Ajay0

[+joc]

I only had to watch 5 seconds of the video to know it was fake.  My god!  What is wrong with you people?  Do you not realize what century and decade you live in?  

[Ajay0]

On 2/14/2025 at 7:20 AM, joc said:

I only had to watch 5 seconds of the video to know it was fake.  My god!  What is wrong with you people?  Do you not realize what century and decade you live in?  

It's not a fake. Elephants are tamed and many serve as pets or in temple festivals in Asia. 

This may seem strange to you but not to us.

I myself witness many elephants walking on the road with their mahouts to temple processions and so on, and there has been times when there has been little gap between us. They are indeed the largest animals on earth so we usually are cautious around them. They are also used for transportation at times in rural areas with one carrying around six people.

Here is a video of a baby elephant drinking water from a garden hose in Nepal.

https://ommcomnews.com/odisha-news/video-of-baby-elephant-drinking-from-pipe-goes-viral/

[+joc]

12 hours ago, Ajay0 said:

It's not a fake. Elephants are tamed and many serve as pets or in temple festivals in Asia. 

This may seem strange to you but not to us.

I myself witness many elephants walking on the road with their mahouts to temple processions and so on, and there has been times when there has been little gap between us. They are indeed the largest animals on earth so we usually are cautious around them. They are also used for transportation at times in rural areas with one carrying around six people.

Here is a video of a baby elephant drinking water from a garden hose in Nepal.

https://ommcomnews.com/odisha-news/video-of-baby-elephant-drinking-from-pipe-goes-viral/

I don't care...the original video isn't even up anymore