Do Animals Grieve Like Humans?

Grief is often thought of as uniquely human — the heavy ache of absence, the silence after laughter, the yearning for what can never return. But if we look closely at the natural world, we see signs that we may not be alone in this experience. Elephants lingering over bones, whales carrying their dead calves for miles, dogs lying beside their owners’ graves — all hint at a truth both humbling and profound: animals, too, may grieve.

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The Elephants’ Vigil

In the savannas of Africa, researchers have observed elephants stopping when they come across the remains of their kind. They stretch out their trunks, gently touching the bones, especially the skulls and tusks, as though recognizing the individual who once lived.

One famous account describes a matriarch named Eleanor who collapsed and could not get up. Another female, not related to her, stood by her side for hours, attempting to lift her. When Eleanor finally died, members of her herd — and even elephants from distant groups — returned to her body, standing silently, stroking her with their trunks.

It is hard to see this as anything but mourning. Elephants, with their remarkable memory and complex social bonds, seem to carry the weight of loss in ways that mirror our own funerals and vigils.

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The Whales Who Carry Their Dead

In the ocean’s vastness, grief takes a different shape. Scientists have documented whales, especially orcas, carrying their dead calves for days or even weeks.

In 2018, the world followed the story of Tahlequah, an orca off the coast of Washington. After her calf died shortly after birth, she refused to let go. For 17 days and over 1,000 miles, she carried the calf on her back or in her mouth, pushing it to the surface again and again.

Some skeptics dismissed it as instinct — perhaps a difficulty in recognizing death. But many marine biologists argued that the persistence and effort, long past any biological need, suggested something more: a grief so deep she could not release her child. Her mourning became a global symbol of maternal love, echoing our own sorrowful rituals of holding on before we finally let go.

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The Loyalty of Dogs

Perhaps the most familiar stories of animal grief come from dogs. Loyal to a fault, they have been known to pine for lost owners with a devotion that feels achingly human.

One of the most famous examples is Hachikō, the Japanese Akita who waited at a train station every evening for his owner, Professor Ueno, who had died unexpectedly at work. For nearly 10 years after his owner’s death, Hachikō returned daily, sitting at the same spot as though expecting his beloved companion to appear.

Even today, many pet owners describe their dogs withdrawing, refusing food, or lying for hours in the places where their deceased humans once sat. Some even whine softly or search the house — behaviors strikingly similar to our own restless pacing, denial, and longing after a loss.

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The Science of Animal Grief

Skeptics often ask: Are animals really grieving, or are we simply projecting our emotions onto them?

Science offers some insights. Studies of mammals like elephants, primates, and whales show that they have highly developed brains, especially in regions linked to emotion and social bonding. Oxytocin — the so-called “love hormone” — plays a role in their attachments, just as it does in ours.

In chimpanzees, researchers have recorded mothers carrying the bodies of their dead infants for days, while others in the troop gather around in silence, avoiding play. In birds like magpies and crows, “funerals” occur where dozens gather noisily around the body of a fallen companion.

Grief, in essence, seems to emerge wherever there is strong social bonding. And animals, like us, form deep bonds. To lose them is to feel the emptiness.

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Why This Matters

Recognizing grief in animals changes how we see the natural world. It challenges the belief that emotions are uniquely human, reminding us that love, loss, and memory stretch far beyond our species.

It also places an ethical weight on how we treat animals. If they grieve, then separating families in captivity, destroying habitats, or hunting them does not just end lives — it shatters relationships, leaving behind survivors who may ache in silence.

Grief is the price of love, and animals, too, seem willing to pay it.

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Closing Reflection

So, do animals grieve like humans? The answer is not simple. They may not write elegies, light candles, or build monuments. Their grief does not speak in words but in gestures: a trunk brushing a bone, a whale refusing to let go, a dog keeping vigil in the rain.

And perhaps that is enough. For in these quiet acts, we glimpse a truth that binds us together across species — that love leaves an imprint, and when it is gone, something inside us breaks.

In grief, as in life, humans and animals are not so different after all.