Many of us just recently found out that elephants find humans cute, the way we find dogs and cats cute…
But is it true?
Leith Meyer, director of the Center for Veterinary Wildlife Studies and associate professor in veterinary and pharmacology at the University of Pretoria told Africa Check that we can now safely dispel misconceptions…
But, why?!
“When you look at the response of wild elephants to humans, they definitely do not see us as cute, rather they see us as a threat,” she said.
Wild elephants and tame elephants react to humans differently
Meyer explains that in the wild, elephants’ past experiences “have produced an evolutionary hard wiring that causes them to treat us the way that they would other big predators, like lions.
The idea that elephants find humans “cute” likely comes from trained elephants who have become used to people, and who rely on them for their survival. Elephants in these situations may abnormally alter their behavior “to ensure that they survive”.
Photo via One Green Planet
Elephant brain activity hasn’t been researched
There has been a lot of research on the parts of the human brain that light up in response to certain thoughts and emotions using an MRI.
However, Meyer said this research isn’t possible in elephants because:
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An MRI is not large enough for an elephant’s head
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The elephant would have to be awake for the MRI scan of its brain reactions to be effective
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There is no way to know if the activated areas of an elephant’s brain were used for the same functions or emotions as humans.
Looks like we’ll never know what elephants “think” about humans, but they appear to value certain relationships they have with certain humans.
Elephants nonetheless can be extremely unpredictable in their behaviors towards people, so always be careful when you’re near one!
By: Aishah Akashah Ahadiat
