Trauernde Tiere

Those who shed crocodile tears, as the saying goes, are deceiving their counterpart. However, the animals captured here by Nikolaus Heidelbach feel genuine sorrow and even wear a mourning veil. Whether flea or elephant, octopus or tapir, dachshund or bonobo – the grief is profound. What they mourn remains entirely open to our interpretation. Is it the state of the world? Their own messed-up lives? Does it have something to do with a completely peculiar species – humans? By the way: crocodile tears do exist. The reptiles cry whenever they eat, which is not a sign of sorrow, but simply a result of increased pressure on their tear glands.