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Animals mothers grieving the loss of a baby - Catherine - 09-17-2026

Animal mothers grieve when they lose a baby. They will cling to the baby or carry it around. This can go on for days and even weeks.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/climate-and-environment/article/really-sad-humpback-whale-documented-apparently-grieving-stillborn-calf/


https://phys.org/news/2026-09-chimpanzee-mothers-dead-infants-months.html


The most famous case was an orca who carried er calf for 17 days.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tahlequah_(orca)

We know there are other species that grieve.
Animals have bonds with each other as deep as any we have, The humpback whale is grieving a still born calf.
She knew she was pregnant and her bond was strong when the calf was born.

This is something that needs more study. We might learn things about how to grieve from these animals that do it naturally.