Poor baby elephant, named Zhuangzhuang, was trampled to death by his mother just minutes after being born in a Chinese zoo, Shangdon TV reported. Photographs show the baby elephant lying still and crying for five hours straight after the heartbreaking incident.
Daily Mail reported on August 30, the Asian baby elephant Zhuangzhuang was born with the help of Shendiaoshan Zoo in Shandong province, China. Witnesses told Shangdon TV that the baby elephant was trampled by its mother, not by accident as initially expected.
Zhuangzhuang sheds constant tears after being rejected by her mother elephant
This male elephant was bandaged and brought back to his mother shortly after. But Zhuangzhuang’s mother tried to step on it and almost died again. In order to protect the baby elephants, the zoo staff allowed Zhuangzhuang to enter an area inaccessible to the mother
Wipe the baby elephant’s tears. Photo cut from clip
On August 31, Zhuangzhuang sobbed because the wound had not healed and was sad because his mother abandoned him. According to the recorded video, tears continuously flowed from the baby elephant’s eyes from 14:00 to 19:00. The baby elephant’s health has now recovered and the spirit is also better.
According to a source from Shangdon TV, it is not known why the mother elephant stepped on her baby, but it seems that it was depressed after giving birth, so it acted so brutally. “The baby elephant could not bear to be away from his mother and was traumatized by the mother elephant’s attempts to kill the baby. We don’t know why the mother elephant trampled her baby,” the zoo representative said.
Now elephant Zhuangzhuang has recovered physically and mentally
Elephants have long been known to be the most sensitive animals, able to cry naturally during stress, trauma and grief. However, scientists still don’t know exactly what causes these animals to shed tears and what they experience in moments of grief.
The scientists suggest that the solitary confinement of groups of wild animals that live in packs may affect their ability to protect their offspring.