"Don't Go, My Friend" - A 25-Year Friendship Farewell from an Elephant Unable to Say Goodbye

A touching farewell between two elephants
who spent 25 years together in a Russian circus troupe

A video of an elephant mourning the loss of a friend elephant who had been together in a circus troupe for 25 years touched the hearts of viewers.

An elephant holding a deceased friend. Photo by Daily Mail, UK

On the 14th, British media outlets such as the Daily Mail and The Sun introduced the story of two female elephants, 'Jenny' and 'Magda,' who had performed in a Russian circus troupe for over 25 years. The two elephants retired from the circus after two unfortunate incidents in 2021 and had been living in a safari park on the Crimean Peninsula.

At the end of last year, Jenny's health deteriorated due to a chronic illness, and on the 13th, she passed away at the age of 54. According to the safari park, Magda, her friend, blocked even the veterinarians' approach and was unable to leave Jenny's side for several hours, immersed in grief.

In the released video, Magda tries to wake Jenny by touching her with her head and feet as if urging her to get up, desperately attempting to rouse her. But when there was no movement, Magda endlessly caressed her friend with her trunk. Afterwards, she buried her trunk in her friend's body and embraced her. It was reported that Magda did not leave Jenny's side for several hours afterward. The video also captured the sobbing sounds of people watching this scene.

The elephant 'Magda' is mourning the death of her friend 'Jenny' and is comforting her. Photo by Daily Mail

The media reported, "Magda and Jenny sometimes reenacted scenes from their past circus performances even after retirement," adding, "They always lived happily together."

Netizens who watched the video expressed their condolences with comments such as, "You can feel the elephant's sorrow," "The friendship between elephants seems better than that of humans," and "My heart aches; I hope the friend elephant has gone to a peaceful place."

Meanwhile, elephants are known to be highly intelligent animals that deeply recognize and express mourning behaviors for the death of family or friends. Elephants have often been observed covering their deceased companions with grass and branches or guarding the corpse like Magda did.

In 2020, at the Samburu Nature Reserve in Kenya, when a 55-year-old mother elephant died, her 10-year-old daughter was observed shedding tears and staying by her dead mother's side for a long time. Last year in India, elephants were also observed conducting a kind of funeral by burying the body of a dead calf in the ground and loudly crying.