This is an interesting discussion and I have seen the cows come to the assistence of the fallen herd member and I have seen them bug off at a high rate of speed too.

The question isn't whether cows react to the death of a herd member, since elephants die all of the time from many causes. It is whether they react significantly different when a herd member dies from a hunters bullet than when a member dies from malnutrition brought on by old age or disease or lion or...

I don't think anyone knows the answer to this, not sure anyone could ever know the answer to this. Logic leads me to suspect that theories ascribing some particular reaction to an elephants death by a hunter's bullet rely on anthropomorphism, or ascribing human traits and emotions to animals, and anti hunting or at least anti elephant hunting.

Will have to look into some of the books though.

JPK