Losing a loved one has never been easy, for humans and for animals alike. The following stories will show you how animals grieve after losing an owner or a member of a family.
After a powerful earthquake that struck a remote region of China last week, a red panda at Pu’er Sun River National Park refused to let go of the body of his friend – who had been crushed by a falling tree.
According to local media reports, keepers awoke after the quake to find one of the animals, a female called Yuan Yuan, was missing.
They saw Yuan Yuan’s sister Xiao Huang take fruit slices off into the forest and, following her, found her trying to give it to the missing bear, who had been dead.
This one is definitely a tearjerker! In this viral video we see a dog crying over the grave of his owner...
In another heartbreaking story, a three-month-old puppy refused to leave the side of his sister, after she was hit by a car.
The dog did not leave the side of the other puppy for two days, until one kindhearted person took the initiative to bury her.
After losing his owner, a 12-year-old German shepherd attended mass on a daily basis at the church of Santa Maria Assunta in San Donaci, Puglia, where the deceased’s funeral was held, in hopes that she would return.
The church’s priest and the parishioners said that they never had to chase him away, since he never made a sound or barked, “he just sat there near the altar,” they said.
And finally for the most well documented story on animal mourning known to man.
Here is the story of the world’s most faithful dog who proved his undying loyalty, waiting for his master’s return in the same location every single day for 10 years after his master’s death.
Hachiko was an Akita dog that belonged to a professor at the University of Tokyo. Every day he would meet his master at Shibuya Station until one day in 1925 when the professor never returned.
But there Hachiko sat, day after day, waiting in vain for the return of his beloved master.
The story of the dog that never gave up gained local and national interest, spreading throughout the world and a Hollywood film starring Richard Gere was even made based on Hachiko’s story.
The photo below was taken on March 8, 1935 and is the last known image of Hachiko, who was found dead on a street in Shibuya. Around his body are his owner’s wife and station staff.
Below is the trailer of the movie "Hachi" based on Hachiko's story.