Elephants Travel 12 Hours To Mourn Human Who Rescued Them

What these elephants did defies human explanation! In March 2012, Lawrence Anthony, a conservationist and author known as “The Elephant Whisperer”, passed away. His family spoke of a solemn procession of elephants that defies any explanation.

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For 12 hours, two herds of wild South African elephants slowly made their way through the Zululand bush until they reached the house of Lawrence Anthony. The formerly violent, rogue elephants, destined to be euthanized, were rescued and rehabilitated by Lawrence. They stood around the house in an apparent vigil for two days, and then dispersed!

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"They had not visited the house for a year and a half and it must have taken them about 12 hours to make the journey," Lawrence's son Dylan said. "The first herd arrived on Sunday and the second herd, a day later. They all hung around for about two days before making their way back into the bush."

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"A good man d**d suddenly," says Rabbi Leila Gal Berner, Ph.D., "and from miles and miles away, two herds of elephants, sensing that they had lost a beloved human friend, moved in a solemn, almost 'funereal' procession to make a call on the bereaved family at the deceased man's home."

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"If there ever were a time, when we can truly sense the wondrous interconnectedness of all beings, it is when we reflect on the elephants of Thula Thula. A man's heart's stops, and hundreds of elephants' hearts are grieving. This man's oh-so-abundantly loving heart offered healing to these elephants, and now, they came to pay loving homage to their friend."