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How do elephants communicate? Sight, sound, scent, touch and vibration…
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The behavior illustrated in this video is Advance-Toward: Purposeful, directed walking with hostile intent toward another elephant(s), or toward a perceived non-elephant threat, that typically results in sumissive or avoidance behavior or counter threat. The term includes an Advance-Toward of a single step to a persistent, prolonged and highly aggressive pursuit at a fast walk. The latter often follows an Escalated-Contest when one male has signalled defeat by fleeing. Advance-Toward may be associated with other aggressive behaviors such as Head-High, Ear-Spreading, or Ear-Folding, Ear-Slap, Ear-Waving, Bow-Neck, Kick-Dust etc. 🐘: Corajosa of the C family of @gorongosapark 🎥: Footage courtesy of Carr Foundation / Gorongosa Project, @offthefencebv, @bobpoolefilms #ElephantVoices #TheElephantEthogram #ElephantBehavior #KnowYourElephants #ElephantsExplained

📍 Gorongosa National Park (@gorongosapark), 2016 Dr. Joyce Poole (Co-Founder & Scientific Director) and Petter Granli (Co-Founder, President & CEO) of@elephantvoices, with the Mabenzi elephant family in the background. 🐘 We’ve noticed some new faces here - welcome! @elephantvoices is a nonprofit organisation that studies elephant behaviour and communication. We use our knowledge, acquired over decades, to act as a voice for elephants. In the wild, elephants face serious threats: ivory poaching, habitat destruction, human-wildlife conflict, sport hunting, culling, and capture. In captivity, many suffer from abuse and exploitation for commercial gain. Through Conservation, Advocacy, Research and Education (CARE), we promote the protection and kinder treatment of elephants wherever they may be. 🔗 To learn more about our work, visit: www.elephantvoices.org or click the link in our bio. Thank you for standing with us as a voice for elephants. 🐘 #ElephantVoices #VoiceForElephants #CAREforelephants #Conservation

We’ve received an overwhelming number of messages about the situation at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park (SWAP). We want to sincerely thank those in China for reaching out in concern. There are currently ~13 African elephants at SWAP, including two males recently born these. Those in view in the videos we have seen look to be males and females between 10 and 14 years old. Reportedly, all but one of them came from Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, and imported to China in 2016. These elephants were abducted from their families at just 2–4 years old and have grown up in captivity without proper family structure, role models, or guidance - carrying with them layers of historical trauma. What is unfolding now resembles Lord of the Flies. In this video, a male elephant attacks another male, pushing him over and through a fence. He is assisted by a female. The victim tries to defend himself over and over again. Throughout the video there is loud angry roaring and trumpeting. In other videos the same male and a female violently attack a female. The aggressors try to push the victim against the electric fence while she roars and screams in distress. Reports suggest that aggressive and bullying behavior has been present in this group since at least 2019. Despite this, the zoo appears to believe the behavior is normal and has taken no meaningful action. The official reply in response to public concern lacks any scientific basis and is nonsensical. Since 2012, over 100 young African elephants—mostly calves aged 2 to 4—have been taken from the wild in Zimbabwe and exported to China for zoos and entertainment venues. ElephantVoices has long campaigned vociferously against the capture and export of elephant calves. In 2013 Dr. Joyce Poole was invited to speak to a group of 30 Chinese Zoo Directors to explain why elephants should not be held in captivity. Despite our arguments and international outcry we were unable to prevent these tragic exports. We are currently working together with colleagues to find a way to improve the lives of the elephants at SWAP and prevent further African exports of elephants to zoos in far away lands. #ShanghaiWildAnimalPark #ShanghaiElephants

The behavior illustrated in this video is Procession: Walking single file in a long line of elephants, from point A to B. Among family groups the matriarch often takes up the rear position with a closely allied adult female relative taking the lead. Processions are typically observed when elephants are walking along a well-worn trail or across open habitat, in situations where they feel relatively secure. A Group-March is more likely to be adopted when they are moving across open habitat in which they feel insecure. 🐘: The Mabenzi family from @gorongosapark 🎥: Footage courtesy of the Carr Foundation / Gorongosa Project, @offthefencebv #ElephantVoices #TheElephantEthogram #ElephantBehavior #SparringElephants #Conservation #KnowYourElephants #ElephantsExplained

A sense of touch: When we think of our human sense of touch we think immediately of our sensitive hands. Likewise, when we imagine an elephant's sense of touch we think, first, of their prehensile trunk, for it is with the trunk that elephants most often touch others. An elephant is capable of using its trunk to perceive differences in the width of grooves as small as 0.25 of a millimeter. Discover more about elephants on our website via the link in our bio. #elephantvoices #elephantfacts

An adult female has been going nutty for a while now - first in the water and now on land. She engages in Floppy-Running and a game of what we call 'Imaginary Enemies.' She walks and runs back and forth, her tail raised and her head alternatively lowered as if about to scoop something in the long grass up in her tusks or raised high - Standing-Tall and looking down over her tusks at her imagined enemies. As she runs back and forth she occasionally waggles her head. We also hear a faint trumpet over the din coming from the bathing elephants between us. The behavior illustrated in this video is Floppy-Running: Elephant(s) ‘running’ with a loose, floppy gait, shaking a lowered head from side-to-side, letting ears flap against the neck (Head-Waggling) and curling the tail up in Tail-Raising. Floppy-Running is often associated with trumpeting - in particular the Pulsated-Trumpet and Nasal-Trumpet. This short video from Amboseli, Kenya was filmed in 2020 and is part of The Elephant Ethogram: A Library of African Elephant Behavior. Visit the link in our bio to learn more. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #conservation #elephants

Good News for Elephants! A new study shows that banning ivory sales really works - and it’s making a difference for African elephants! A team of researchers analyzed poaching data before and after comprehensive ivory trade bans were put in place. Their results? A significant drop in the proportion of elephants being illegally killed. Importantly, the study highlights that international agreements have the biggest impact when paired with strong national enforcement and active local support. @ElephantVoices has long argued that trade bans work and this is one of the first studies to measure the real-world benefits. It shows that bold policies and public awareness campaign can save species, even under intense pressure. It sends a hopeful message to governments everywhere: you can make a difference when global agreements are backed by action. Link in bio to learn more about this study. #NewStudy #IvoryBan #SaveElephants

Little E is only 4 days old. Allomother Lorato has defecated. Little E is interested. Mama Little E touches his genitals (Trunk-to-Genitals) and his anus, holds his tail and then Trunk-to-Genitals again three times. Little E then begins to try to Comfort-Suckle from allomother Lorato who adopts a Suckle-Stance. He stops and Mama Little E comes over and touch him under his mouth (Trunk-to-Mouth) and then along and up his trunk as she turns slightly away from allomother Lorato - Guiding him away from Lorato and toward her. He turns toward her. As this is taking place, Lorato engages in a series of Displacement behaviors - Touch-Face, Trunk-Sucking and then steps forward and begins Displacement-Grooming - Dusting but not really. Mama Little E walks on behind Lorato and Little E goes in front of her. As he passes by Lorato touches his genitals (Trunk-to-Genitals). The behavior illustrated in this video is Suckle-Stance:An adult or juvenile female standing with a forefoot placed in a forward position thus allowing an infant or calf access to her breast. This short video from Maasai Mara, Kenya is part of The Elephant Ethogram: A Library of African Elephant Behavior. Visit the link in our bio to learn more. #theelephantethogram #elephantvoices #conservation #elephants

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