Elephant Discovers Skull Of Another Elephant, Cries Out In Agony—Heartbreaking Video Goes Viral (Image Source – @readysetsafari/Instagram)
A heartwarming and emotional video is making rounds on social media, leaving the internet teary-eyed. The clip shows an elephant getting extremely emotional after spotting the skull of one of its ancestors in the wild. As soon as the elephant noticed the skull, it displayed intense grief after inspecting it for a long time.
The video was originally shared on Instagram by an account identified as @readysetsafari and later reshared by Pubity. The original caption read, “It’s always amazing after spending countless hours in the African bush when you see something new. We had heard about elephants reacting to elephant skulls but never witnessed it firsthand… Until the very end of an awesome game drive at @klaseriedrift_safari_camps Misava Safari Camp. It had just started lightly sprinkling at the very end of our drive as we approached the lodge, but just before we got there we found this elephant intently inspecting an old elephant skull which had been there for years. Her reaction was as emotional as it was unexpected. This is why Africa is so amazing. You never know what you will see next. You just know it will be special. Klaserie Private Game Reserve, South Africa.”
In the video, the elephant can be seen coming across the skull and inspecting it with its trunk. After realizing it belonged to another elephant—likely one of its ancestors—it begins running around in grief, trumpeting loudly to express its sadness.
The video has since gone viral, with netizens once again impressed by the intelligence and emotional depth of these gentle giants. One user remarked: “They are so emotionally intelligent, and possess a level of consciousness we cannot even begin to comprehend. She possibly felt a strong connection to the elephant to whom that skull belonged—maybe even realized how he or she had died—triggering this huge emotional response.”