What really surprises me is the part were Moss mentions the covering of the corpse:
Cynthia Moss recorded the responses of a community of elephants to one of their members being shot by a poacher. As the struck elephant’s knees buckled and she began to go down, her elephant comrades struggled to keep her upright. ‘‘They worked their tusks under her back and under her head. At one point they succeeded in lifting her into a sitting position, but her body flopped back down. Her family tried everything to rouse her, kicking and tusking her, and Tallulah even went off and collected a trunkful of grass and tried to stuff it into her mouth.’’ After she died, her friends and family members covered the corpse in dirt and branches. [1]
Michael Shermer (2004) The science of good and evil: Why people cheat, gossip, care, share, and follow the golden rule. www.henryholt.com.
Cynthia Moss (1988) Elephant memories: Thirteen years in the life of an elephant family. New York: Fawcett Columbine.
