Several elephants huddled around the body, recalled ecologist Shifra Goldenberg, who was observing the animals with colleagues that day. When an elephant falls, the loss is acknowledged and investigated by other elephants, even those unrelated to the deceased. Some elephants touched Victoria’s body with their trunks, while others tried to lift her stiffened ears with their feet. This may explain why a bull named Omtata spent eight minutes sniffing Victoria’s body and the dirt around it. The same is true of elephant tusks, which are important focal points for elephants.

Source: Washington Post February 21, 2020 13:30 UTC