New Study Reveals Asian Elephants Perform Calf Burial Ritual

Elephants, renowned for their intelligence, have long been observed showing emotional behaviours, such as carrying their deceased calves on their trunks for days and even weeks. In a most recent groundbreaking study by IFS Parveen Kaswan, an Indian Forest Service officer and Pune based researcher Akashdeep Roy, published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa revealed a new fact. The study documented Asian elephants following a ritual, where they were seen burying their dead calves. The researchers claimed that the elephants carry their calves away from human settlements and bury them in an upright position. Regardless of the cause of death, the elephant calves were buried in the same position.

While it was known that African elephants follow such practices, this was the first time such behaviour was found among Asian species. Meanwhile, Parveen and Akashdeep used photography, field reports and post mortem examinations to uncover these facts. The study focused on regions including Northern Bengal, covering forests, tea estates, agricultural lands and military establishments in areas like Debpara, Chunabhatti, Bharnabari, Majherdabri and the New Dooars tea gardens near Gorumara and Buxa. The cases involved calves aged between three and 12 months.

Sharing the post, IFS Parveen Kaswan wrote, “Ever heard about a phenomenon called as Elephant burials. Few have heard but rarely document it from India. Here we publish the first of its kind study from India of Asian elephant burials with multiple real documentation in ‘Journal of Threatened Taxa’.”

In a conversation with Times of India, “Parveen Kaswan explained, “We found that the elephants carry carcasses, holding on to the trunks or legs, for a distance before burying them. Direct human intervention was not recorded in any of the five deaths. The positioning could be explained for better grip for herd members to hold and lay the calf in the trench. This also reflects the care and affection of the herd for the calf. It suggests that because of a space crunch, the herd prioritizes the head for burial before feet.”

Additionally, the Asian elephants showed another unique behaviour, as they avoided the paths where these calves were laid to rest. The researchers observed that the frequency of elephant movements in these areas decreased by 70 per cent. While Asian elephants avoid the path, on the other hand, African elephants invest considerable time in investigating and exploring the remains. Interestingly, the Asian species use parallel pathways.