Seeing Elephant Intelligence First Hand
The reason I went to India was not to see the Taj Mahal, the magnificent temples and palaces, Delhi, or Mumbai. I saw all of these but I went to see tigers and I was not disappointed. I saw quite a few, but as with all travel experiences, I experienced unexpected bonuses.
Elephants are known for their memory and there is the saying that elephants never forget. But I saw proof of how intelligent they are.
Asian elephants are smaller and more docile than their cousins in Africa. For that reason they are used throughout the country for labor and to take tourists into the jungles on photo safaris. We had just returned from such a safari and were in the process of dismounting, a process that involves the elephant going up to a high platform onto which its passengers dismount.
As we were waiting our turn, I saw the woman on the elephant in front of us drop the lens cover for her camera. I was about to tell our driver when the elephant she was riding beat me to the punch. He reached down with his trunk and picked up the thin miniscule object. He did this with the “finger” at the end of his trunk. Then he reached his trunk over his head and gave it to the driver.
I had never doubted the intelligence of elephants but seeing this gave me all the proof I needed that they weren’t all brawn and no brain. I have told the story many times to guests at the Houston Zoo, where I volunteer, and they are as astounded as I was.
The Houston Zoo has the second oldest bull Asian elephant, Thailand, in the U.S. At the zoo he goes by Thai. He will celebrate his sixtieth birthday on June 16, 2025. The zoo is planning to celebrate Thai’s special day with special treats for him and those who visit that day.
Thai is the father of eight of the Asian elephants born at the zoo. The newest addition, Kirby, was born in November of 2024. Based on Thai’s reproductive abilities in his dotage, I consider Thai the Mick Jagger of elephants.
Thai has his own bachelor quarters and occasionally one or more of his younger male offspring come to visit him. When they do he is very tolerant and kind, allowing them to play with him.
Kirby’s mother, who also lives at the zoo, is Methai, the 56 year old matriarch of the herd. One of Methai’s favorite treats is browse and any time she gets a large stick, she will eat all of the green and bark off of it and then use it as a back scratcher.
A sign of aging in elephants is their skin turns pinker because of a loss of pigment. This is especially obvious in their ears and trunks. You can spot Methai among the herd because she has a large pink area on her face.
Elephants also develop arthritis in their joints as they become older. The zoo’s older elephants do daily “elephant yoga.” Their keepers ask them to raise and bend their legs repeatedly to warm up their joints. During these sessions the keepers observe to see if their movements are normal and how well they are responding. If an elephant is acting differently, the zoo’s veterinarians are informed.
Thai and Methai’s blood is collected once a week. If you are wondering how this is done, it is taken from their ear while a keeper distracts them by giving them special treats such as watermelon, rice cakes, or bananas. I would love to be distracted in such a way when having my blood drawn.
Zoo visitors often ask if their personalities change as they get older. Both Thai and Methai’s personalities have stayed the same, even if their bodies move a little slower.
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As the herd’s matriarch, it is Methai’s job to teach all of the elephants how to behave and make sure the herd is safe and comfortable. Even though she cannot move as well as she once did, you can still see her hustle across the yard to find out what’s going on if a young elephant calls out.
When Nelson was very young, he laid down in the yard for a nap. When he tried to stand he could not figure out how to do it. He started vocalizing and his mom and sister came over and tried to help but could not get him up. Methai walked over, pushed her way past his mom, and using her trunk and front foot, gently lifted him right to his feet. It takes a level head to run a herd and Methai has always had that. Age hasn’t affected it.
When it is hot the elephants love being sprayed with water or taking a dip in the pool.
Though visitors to the zoo probably are not aware of it, visiting the zoo helps elephants in the wild. A portion of each zoo admission and membership goes to protecting wild elephants in Asia. The Zoo provides support, equipment, and training for local researchers to place satellite collars on Asia’s wild elephants and track them. The Zoo’s Malaysian conservation team is now watching over and protecting three groups of wild elephants in Borneo. The data collected from these groups will help create future protection plans for elephants in the wild.
I will conclude with my favorite poem about elephants. It is by Liz Brownlee.
An Elephant is Born
Night holds them safe,
the cloud moon gleams
deep in the darkness
of soft breath and dreams,
the elephant mother
greets her new son,
with a tender and gentle,
low soft hum,
strokes his face
the night-left long,
and sings her newborn
an elephant song.
