Latest findings about newborn elephants and herd behavior are, “remarkable,” according to behavioral researchers at the University of Oxford in collaboration with, a non-profit based in Kenya. Researchers investigated how elephant herds alter their behavior after a mother gives birth and found, they don’t.
“It's actually incredible. Think about it. These elephants give birth to a baby, basically 100-kilogram baby [220 pounds], and then carry on. How? It’s crazy!” says Taylor. “It’s a remarkable, huge feat of resilience and stance to be able to get up and go, essentially, and carry on.”This study is the first of its kind. Researchers and STE partnered to understand elephant behavior and learn more about how to protect the threatened species.
Up until now, Taylor says most of the research on newborn elephants has been anecdotal. Using data from a long-term elephant monitoring project that STE began in 1997, Taylor studied the average daily speed of a pregnant elephant and a mother who just gave birth. “There are significant advantages to them to be able to move straight after birth, […] like predator protection,” says Taylor. “There's quite a lot of blood that comes out when they give birth that could attract predators, so the baby is quite vulnerable. If they can get up and go, that is the safety thing because moving away from that birth sight is going to be an advantage. […] It’s going to be a bit safer if that baby can move.
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