Mirror Image! Two young adults, Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. June 2015.

It was a small news item buried in the inside pages of a newspaper. Hundreds of elephants were dying in Botswana of some unknown cause. As wildlife enthusiast, the report, instantly caught my eye.

It took me back to some of my own sightings and experiences with the African elephants when I lived there. Elephants or gentle giants as they are often referred to are a delight to watch in the wild. Finding water where you didn’t think there was any, helping their little ones, foraging the trees for green shoots and fruit, young ones having fun with their companions and sometimes even letting the lions know that they don’t appreciate their presence around!!

I have had the chance to watch these beautiful creatures in their habitat, and believe me, they are much more fun to watch than lions who just sit around and sleep most of the day. Well we could say that this has something to do with their food needs. While a big cat feeds every three to four days, an adult pachyderm needs to have close to 100 kilos of food a day and about 150 litres of water. So they need to work hard to keep themselves satiated.

While they may look gentle and are that most of the time, you would not want to get  elephants upset. Many people have learnt this the hard way, having their cars attacked or even upturned, when they have gotten too adventurous or have not adhered to wildlife park guidelines.

Young ones, not well acquainted to humans tourists can also give the latter a scare and a run to show their power and have some fun, as I once experienced it in the Gorangosa park in Mozambique. This park was ravaged during the civil war in the country and was left bereft of much wildlife. The government, enthusiasts and environmentalists have tried to repopulate this beautiful wilderness with some success, but its remote location means that the park sees few visitors. We were told this young bull had just left his herd and was establishing his dominance.      

Just what is it that makes elephants, one of the largest animals on land, so special ? It’s their BRAIN. Elephants have a large brain, even when we compare it relative to its body size. It is well developed and quite similar to the human brain with as many neurons and synapses. Emotional Quotient (EQ) of elephants is almost as high as that of a chimpanzee.

This means these creatures have an excellent memory. They can remembering paths they have taken, locations they have been to. They can retrace their steps in the wilderness with no signages and markings and make their way to a water source used years ago. A documentary about Athena, The Elephant Queen (streaming on Apple tv), a matriarch, who leads her heard in search of water across the drought ridden unforgiving African landscape brings out these capabilities during challenging times.

They are capable of recognizing not just other members of their herd who they forage and socialise with, but can also remember other elephants and even humans they may have spent time with at some point in their lives.

Elephants are part of the exclusive group of animals which can recognise themselves in the mirror. Others being human, dolphins and greater apes and magpies. They have been seen grieving for their dead and can also suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PDST)

I grew up in India, where until a few decades ago seeing an elephant in and the around the cities was not such an unusual site. Even today they can be seen in some temples and are revered as a sign of wisdom and intellect and vehicle of the gods.

Unlike the African elephant, the Asian elephant has for years been domesticated to work in forests and plantations and perform at circuses. With farming and urban expansion, its habitat of forests and grassland has shrunk, it has come in conflict with the humans and now finds itself on the endangered list (African Elephant is on the vulnerable list). The practice of using elephants for chores and entertainment like rides has been reducing over the years and efforts are on to protect them in their habitat. But with their homes under threat and continued poaching of their tusks for ivory, their conservation has to be our ongoing responsibility. 

So another recent article (NYT, Aug 15, 2020), this time a happy one, brought a smile to my face and hope for the elephants. Mara, a female (Asian) elephant who spent several years of her life in captivity (from a circus to a zoo) was finally free to roam. It had been no easy task. She was transported 1700-miles from a zoo in Buenos Aires to a sanctuary Brazil!

The Corona virus pandemic has raised many questions about our contacts with animals and habits around them. The pressure of human encroachment on forests and open seas has meant that we are losing species at a faster rate than any time earlier. Maybe it is time for us to revaluate our relationships with animals, wildlife, nature and the life around us.

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