09/10/2025
Life events like this stay in our system until they’re processed and we understand our integrated the experience completely so that it does not affect our future health.
Emotional pain is not separate from physical.
Nature ain’t always beautiful 💔
In 2013, at the Shendiaoshan Wildlife Reserve in Shandong, China, a baby elephant named Zhuangzhuang was born healthy but was quickly rejected by his mother. Right after birth, his mother stomped on him, injuring him. At first, keepers thought it might have been an accident, so once Zhuangzhuang was treated, they returned him to her. But when she tried to attack him again, they realized it was deliberate and separated the two permanently.
The calf was left deeply distressed. Reports from the reserve said he cried non-stop for about five hours. It showed how strongly bonded elephants usually are to their mothers and how unusual rejection can be.
Caretakers eventually calmed Zhuangzhuang, and from then on he was raised by humans.
