New study proves wild elephants are of altruistic nature

Researchers observe a herd of elephants

A study published by a team of wildlife scientists provides strong evidence of altruistic behaviour in a population of wild elephants in northeast India. On two separate occasions, adult male elephants rescued adult females that were sedated by the research team for their work. The lead author of the study is Arjun Kamdar and the co-authors include Samshul Ali, Hiten Kumar Baishya, Kaushik Barua, Rangjalu Basumatary, Parikshit Kakati, Nripen Kalita, Bibhuti Mazumder, Raju Saikia, Anupam Sarmah, Kushal Konwar Sharma, David Smith, Nitin Sekar.

This work was led by researchers from the World Wide Fund for Nature, India (WWF), the Assam State Forest Department, the University of Cambridge, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Asian Elephant Specialist Group, and several other NGOs and government bodies. To ensure accuracy, detailed observations were corroborated using interviews, photographs, and videos. A full list is available in the international peer-reviewed scientific journal Biotropica, Wiley Publishers where this paper has been published open-access.

Description and analysis

This study sheds light on the enduring question of whether altruistic behaviours exist in animal societies by capturing rare and notoriously difficult-to-observe events. As part of their ongoing project to fit wild elephants with GPS collars to study their movement patterns and the causes of human-elephant conflicts, the researchers worked in Sonai Rupai Wildlife Sanctuary and the Addabarie Tea Estate in Sonitpur, Assam.

An adult male and female elephant. Pics/Arjun Kamdar

In both places, they darted an adult female elephant that was part of a larger herd with a tranquilliser so that they could approach her safely to mount the collar on her. The rest of the herd moved away from the approaching team. However, on both occasions, an adult male elephant, once a tusker and another time a tuskless male, known as a makhna, approached the sedated female and pushed her out of sedation, despite the presence of the research team.

According to researchers, this counter-intuitive behaviour fits the description of ‘rescue behaviour' and throws light on an understudied aspect of their behavioural ecology. The researchers note that altruistic actions could stem from emotional contagion, empathic concern, or even reciprocal altruism - a behaviour where help is extended without immediate benefit but with the potential for future rewards.

"These observations show us that there are several unknown aspects of animal society that could have implications for how we frame the management and conservation of these social species. Elephants' ability to empathise, understand coordination tasks, and use tools has long been established. These new findings add to our understanding of their advanced social behaviours," said Arjun Kamdar, lead author of the study. Currently an MPhil student at the University of Cambridge. This work was done in his previous role as an elephant biologist with WWF-India.