Elephants are some of the most intelligent creatures on the planet. One of the most apt examples of their cleverness and emotional depth is the way they mourn their dead. This 2007 photo from Botswana, taken by John Chaney, shows a female elephant keeping a vigil over the body of her friend, and we should all be so lucky to have such good friends to look after us when we die. Chaney wrote that the elephant stood there for hours, chasing away birds and predators, before wrapping her trunk around the other's tusk to say goodbye. The photo, which was part of the 2012 National Geographic Traveler photo contest, is being called a reminder of the dangers faced by African elephants. Because of poachers and the ivory trade, they could be extinct within 12 years, according to experts.
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