New York - A heartbreaking Facebook clip shows a herd of cows saying goodbye to their beloved friend.

The video was released by Farm Sanctuary, a non-profit organization that rescues animals in need and provides them with lifelong care.

It shows Curly the cow lying in the grass surrounded by his herd.

"When Curly developed inoperable cancer, his herd knew it was time to say goodbye," the organization wrote in the post.

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"Cows are deeply social animals. Because they are herd animals, they rely on each other for comfort and support and often choose to stay close to those who are sick."

The animals therefore stayed close to their sick companion and looked after the cow.

Because Curly was not eating his food properly, Bessey and her colleagues at first suspected that the animal may have had stomach ulcers, something he had been prone to in the past.

Unfortunately, the diagnosis this time – inoperable cancer – was much more serious and Farm Sanctuary manager Sierra Bessey told Newsweek that Curly had to be euthanized soon after the video was taken.

Bessey added that cows are perfectly capable of grieving and forming deep emotional bonds, even if we humans don't always realize it.