Asian elephants ritually bury their dead calves, a ground-breaking study by an Indian Forest Service officer and a Pune-based researcher has found. Published in a prominent international journal, the study presents five case reports of calf burials by elephants.
Although instances of elephants burying their dead has found mention in African literature, this is the first time such behaviour has been documented in Asian elephants.
Titled “Unearthing calf burials among Asian Elephants Elephas maximus Linnaeus, 1758 (Mammalia: Proboscidea: Elephantidae) in northern Bengal, India,” the paper by IFS officer Parveen Kaswan and Akashdeep Roy was published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa on February 26.
Ever heard about a phenomenon called as #Elephant burials ! Few have heard but rarely document it from India. Here we publish first of its kid study from #India of Asian elephant burials with multiple real documentation in ‘Journal of Threatened Taxa’https://t.co/cJCu5wLCLa… pic.twitter.com/wsr10o1OpM— Parveen Kaswan, IFS (@ParveenKaswan) February 28, 2024
Elephants were observed carrying their dead calves by trunks and legs away from human settlements. The carcasses were buried in a “legs-upright-position.”
Through photography, observation, field notes and post-mortem examination reports, the authors found that calves were buried in the same position irrespective of the reason for their death.
The Asian elephants were also found to be avoiding the paths were the dead calves lay buried.
Speaking to mid-day, Parveen Kaswan said: “For a long period, literature and wildlife professionals have faint memory about the practice of loose burial in Asian elephant herds.
“While full-grown elephant burial is difficult due to their size, African elephants have been known to bury their calves. However, evidence of this practice was not documented in detail in India until our latest work, published in a peer-reviewed journal, provided light on comparable incidents involving Asian elephants.”
Kaswan added that the findings provide insights into the emotional depth and sociological nature of Asian elephants by “demonstrating their ability to engage in complex ideas, feelings and communal rituals.”
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