Asian elephants

6 Stories

Zoo Mourns Elephant Death After Dog Causes Stir at Zoo

Rani, 27, collapsed after others became distressed

(Newser) - An Asian elephant at the St. Louis Zoo has died after becoming agitated when a loose dog in the area apparently caused distress in other elephants. Rani, 27, had been at the zoo since 2001, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. "We are absolutely devastated," zoo Director Michael Macek...

To Study Elephants in Mourning, Researchers Get Creative

It's the first scientific documentation of the behavior in Asian elephants, thanks to YouTube

(Newser) - Wildlife biologists used crowdsourced YouTube videos to compile the first scientific documentation of how Asian elephants react to death. It's not that they were afraid to go into the field to study them with their own eyes—the problem is that Asian elephants are jungle dwellers, which makes them...

Poachers Still Killing Elephants, but Not for Ivory
They Tracked 19 Elephants,
Found Something Macabre
NEW STUDY
Mar 21, 2018 9:40 AM CDT

They Tracked 19 Elephants, Found Something Macabre

Poaching for elephant skin raises fears populations could get decimated in Myanmar

(Newser) - Poaching elephants for their ivory has already devastated populations, but poaching the animals for their skin could be disastrous, according to a new study detailing the "heartbreaking" practice in Myanmar. Poaching wasn't thought to be a major issue in the country at the outset of the three-year study...

Dramatic Rescue, With Surprise Help From Muddy Elephants

Asian elephants in Cambodia were mired in bomb crater—then assistance arrived

(Newser) - Teamwork both human and animal is what saved the lives of nearly a dozen Asian elephants in a Cambodian wildlife preserve after local farmers there stumbled upon a distressing sight: 11 of the endangered animals stuck in a mud-filled crater formed nearly a half-century ago by a Vietnam War bomb,...

Elephants Console Each Other
 Elephants Console Each Other 
Feb 19, 2014 5:27 PM CST

Elephants Console Each Other

They comfort distressed pals, says study

(Newser) - Elephants not only recognize when a member of their group is stressed, they offer comfort in the form of reassuring touches and chirping noises, reports National Geographic . The "comforting" trait is rare among animals, with dogs, chimps, and we humans among the few to have it. Researchers in Thailand...

How Recorded Tiger Growls Might Help Elephants

Playback could keep them away from crops and deadly confrontations

(Newser) - The growls of tigers—though not the tigers themselves—might become more common near farms in India if the results of a new study are put into place. As National Geographic explains, researchers discovered that recordings of tiger growls caused Asian elephants to quickly retreat during night forages. This could...

6 Stories