What Can Humans Learn from Elephants?
These towering animals may seem like worlds apart from our own, but we have more in common with them than you think
At first glance, the difference between humans and elephants is obvious. The sad truth is that we are still hunting them to extinction, and there are now fewer than 400,000 elephants left in the world. Upon watching a handful of documentaries about elephants and how they travel in herds with a head matriarch during lockdown — I was struck by just how much emotional intelligence they can show.
Elephants are also one of my favourite animals, and this is partly what’s motivating me to write this story. I love how they stand tall and proud and use their trunks to taste the air, and even as a snorkel when they are suspended in water. I love how they roam the African plains in packs and display so much loyalty, and they are also beautiful to look at.
Studies have shown how elephants react to grief and loss, display empathy and stick together in the herd when things get tough. In that sense, we can learn a lot from them. Elephants may exist in a very different capacity to us, but a lot can be learnt from them.
