who has also seen similar behaviours in the wild. “Loss is a phenomenon common to sentient animals,
including humans.”
For Wittemyer, the loss of Victoria – an elephant he followed for decades – came with a kind of unexpected
joy. People who study elephants spend a lot of time worrying about poaching, he says. But Victoria had led a
long, rich life. “Certainly, it’s sad. But this is what we would hope for, that elephants can live out their lives
and die peacefully, in an area where they’re not being hunted,” Wittemyer says. “We got to watch her die
naturally, in a beautiful part of the park, with her family around her.”
© Washington Post