Protest-Trumpet

A Trumpet given in protest to some unpleasant or disturbing. It may often be given in association with Head-Shaking and is a sign of an individual's annoyance with or disapproval of an individual or circumstance. We only have a couple of examples of what we would call Protest-Trumpets, one given in water, and they sound very different from one another. For the moment, therefore, the term Protest-Trumpet is a catch-all term for Trumpets given in the context of what appears to be disapproval, annoyance, indignation at some unpleasant or disturbing incident or circumstance, as opposed to an Alarmed-Trumpet given in response to something that causes fear or alarm. It remains to be seen whether such trumpets are statistically different from one another.

References: Poole & Granli 2021. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Social Play, Protest & Distress

Protest-Trumpet

Context:Social Play (1)

Two males are playing in a water hole together. The male in the foreground swishes his trunk through the water and then the second male approaches him floating on his side and they Spar and we hear a loud Tusk-Clank. The male in the foreground Orients-Away and then lifts his head in a look of surprise, as if the other male has 'goosed' him or something underwater. He gives a short breathy Trumpet as if in surprise, which we have included as a Protest-Trumpet. (Amboseli, Kenya)