An elephant showed a heartbreaking display of sadness after her performing partner of 25 years collapsed and died in front of her.
Circus elephants Jenny and Magda retired four years ago after they suddenly started fighting during a performance and then attacked their trainer a week later.
Despite the spat the elephants were friends and had been living at Taigan Safari Park in Russian-occupied Crimea since packing up the circus act in March 2021.
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However, this week Jenny collapsed and died at the safari park and Magda was extremely upset as the animal displayed clear signs of grief over the death of her partner of 25 years.
Local news outlets reported that for several minutes Magda tried to lift Jenny back onto her feet and when that didn't work she started to hug her fellow elephant and held her trunk.
For several hours the elephant stood over her friend's body and didn't let vets get near Jenny.
They'd had their falling out four years ago where Jenny had butted Magda and trampled her on the floor during a circus performance, but while they say that elephants never forget it seems like the pair were able to put the past behind them.
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The circus claimed that the sudden and unexpected attack had been done 'possibly in pursuit of the trainer's attention' and they thought Jenny had attacked Magda out of 'jealousy'.
A week later the elephants attacked trainer Eduard Sheishenbekov, who suffered two spinal fractures, broken ribs and a punctured lung, so it was decided that their circus days were over as their trainers admitted they wouldn't know how to stop Jenny and Magda if they started charging at the audience.
Despite the clashes at the end of their circus career the elephants got along well in retirement as they 'always stuck together and lived amicably' in the safari park.
They also occasionally performed impromptu routines together which they'd been trained to do while performing in the circus.
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Animal rights campaigners have long argued that elephants being used in circus acts is cruel, as they are confined and not happy.
Elephants are incredibly emotionally intelligent animals and studies have indicated that they do grieve and have patterns of mourning that are similar to humans.
Bodies of elephant calves have been found buried by their kin, and elephants are capable of crying.
Some elephants have also been observed returning to the site where a member of their herd died, so the death of others of their kind clearly affects them.
Topics: Animals
Joe Harker