NEW DELHI: Asian elephants loudly mourn and bury their dead calves, according to a study by Indian scientists that details animal behaviour reminiscent of human funeral rites.

Researchers identified five calf burials conducted by the giant mammals in West Bengal state in 2022 and 2023, according to the study published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa this week.

They found in each case that a herd carried the deceased calf by the trunk and legs before burying it in the earth with its legs facing upward.

“Through opportunistic observation, digital photography, field notes, and post-mortem examination reports, we suggest that the carcasses were buried in an abnormal recumbent style irrespective of the reasons for the calf’s death,” the study said.

In one instance the herd loudly roared and trumpeted around the buried calf, the authors wrote.

The study found only calves are carried away for burial, owing to the “non-feasibility” of transporting heavier adult elephants by the rest of their herds.

Published in Dawn, March 2nd, 2024