ASIAN ELEPHANTS were always considered shy, living in small social circles as compared to their African counterparts. A new study at Uda Walawe National Park in Sri Lanka reveals they are much more connected and have extensive social affiliations.
For five seasons spread over two years, the authors observed social interactions of 286 wild female elephants while trying to identify characteristic patterns. They found that they made many long-lasting friendships whose dynamics changed as seasons passed by.
They saw that in times of trouble like the dry seasons, these social bonds got tighter. Elephants are known to have very high cognitive ability making them capable of handling complex associations with impressive stability.
They thrive in family units centred around a few females while the males roam independently.
But scientists say such basic social structure is only a mask to an extensive community feeling.
“The ‘herd’ of elephants one sees at any given time is often only a fragment of a much larger social group. Our work shows that they are able recognise their friends and renew these bonds even after being apart for a long time,” said Dr Shermin de Silva, one of the authors.
In their paper, published in the journal BMC Ecology, the authors describe the tremendous variability in the population. For example, a family unit might contain anything between 3 to 17 adult females.
Social strategies that different females work with are unique and individualistic: some confide in a single “best friend” while some were “social butterflies” who changed companions frequently.