[deskamess]

From what I have heard/seen elephants treat their dead with respect. When coming back to an area where they lost one of their own they are known to caress and pick up bones and spend some time there. They seem to grasp the concept of death.

They may not have made an association between the event and their loss, but I am pretty sure they recognized the little one was no longer 'with them'. I personally feel (no facts here) they would not have left her alone if they thought she was alive.