Understanding Elephants - Guidelines for safe and enjoyable elephant viewing examines elephant behaviour and provides guidelines on how to conduct yourself near elephants. On average, up to three people are killed annually in South Africa by elephants, and another three are seriously injured. The majority of these incidents could have been avoided had the people involved better understood elephant behaviour and been able to read the tell-tale signs. Often an attack is not just potentially tragic for the people involved, it leads also to the demise of the animal too.
This book hopes to provide a better understanding of elephant behaviour and of how to avoid a negative or unfortunate encounter with these majestic animals. Suggestions are offered on how to behave when driving near elephants, as well as how to react in difficult or dangerous situations.
In the first chapter the reader gets some global elephant facts, such as age-related differences, sexual differences, how to detect if elephants are nearby, how to identify them individual, etc.
The second chapter gives you an insight into the social behavior of these beautiful gentle giants.
When viewing elephants on a safari it’s important to know if a certain male elephant (bull) is in musth or not. During this period, testosterone hormone levels in the blood of a male increase (up to 50-fold compared to non-musth levels) and, as a result, the bull becomes more aggressive. So you are wise to keep your distance when bumping into a bull in musth. But no fear, chapter three tell you all you need to know.
Elephants are megaherbivores and are so-called ’keystone’ species, which means they are able to change the habitat they live in and function as drivers in various ecological processes that can influence other species. Chapter four tells you more about elephants their ecology and environment.
Why do elephants entwine their trunks or place their trunk tips into the mouth of other elephants? What means the rumbling or trumpeting? Chapter five tells you all about the communication of elephants.
Elephants have the largest brain of all terrestrial animals, and in relation to their body size, comparable to those of great apes. So they are very intelligent. Did you know they also have empathy? Read all about it in chapter six.
Where chapters 1-6 are rather theoretically, chapters 7-9 focuses on how you need to behave in the presence of elephants: reading their signals, how close you can go, do’s and don’ts,...
Despite the fact that Understanding elephants isn't a thick book, only 68 pages, all you need to know is in it. It’s your perfect companion when observing elephants in a respectful and ethical way.
This book hopes to provide a better understanding of elephant behaviour and of how to avoid a negative or unfortunate encounter with these majestic animals. Suggestions are offered on how to behave when driving near elephants, as well as how to react in difficult or dangerous situations.
In the first chapter the reader gets some global elephant facts, such as age-related differences, sexual differences, how to detect if elephants are nearby, how to identify them individual, etc.
The second chapter gives you an insight into the social behavior of these beautiful gentle giants.
When viewing elephants on a safari it’s important to know if a certain male elephant (bull) is in musth or not. During this period, testosterone hormone levels in the blood of a male increase (up to 50-fold compared to non-musth levels) and, as a result, the bull becomes more aggressive. So you are wise to keep your distance when bumping into a bull in musth. But no fear, chapter three tell you all you need to know.
Elephants are megaherbivores and are so-called ’keystone’ species, which means they are able to change the habitat they live in and function as drivers in various ecological processes that can influence other species. Chapter four tells you more about elephants their ecology and environment.
Why do elephants entwine their trunks or place their trunk tips into the mouth of other elephants? What means the rumbling or trumpeting? Chapter five tells you all about the communication of elephants.
Elephants have the largest brain of all terrestrial animals, and in relation to their body size, comparable to those of great apes. So they are very intelligent. Did you know they also have empathy? Read all about it in chapter six.
Where chapters 1-6 are rather theoretically, chapters 7-9 focuses on how you need to behave in the presence of elephants: reading their signals, how close you can go, do’s and don’ts,...
Despite the fact that Understanding elephants isn't a thick book, only 68 pages, all you need to know is in it. It’s your perfect companion when observing elephants in a respectful and ethical way.
Nick Mertens
May 29, 2017
May 29, 2017
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