Elephant grieves for mother for hours in Keonjhar forest

KEONJHAR: Expressions of love and grief are not limited to humans but are also found in many instances in animals.
Such an example was on display in Hadagarh sanctuary under Keonjhar wildlife division, where a grieving sub-adult elephant stood near the carcass of his mother for hours on Thursday with tears rolling down from his eyes, trying to wake her up.Photos of the incident have gone viral on social media.
Sources said the two elephants had been moving in the area for the last few days. The female elephant died of age-related ailments. After her death, the sub-adult elephant was seen crying near his mother and trying to wake her up. The calf returned to the forest only after realising his mother won't wake up.
Range officer of Hadagarh, Marshal Kisku, said, "It was a very painful scene. Local sources said that after the death of the mother, the sub-adult elephant went near her carcass and stayed for some time and then went into the forest. Again it returned and tried to wake up his mother. When the elephant finally realised his mother would not wake up, it left the carcass and went into the forest."
Hadagarh wildilife sanctuary is spread over more than 91 square km, connecting Anandpur, Baripada, Karanjia and Balasore forest divisions, sources said.