When it comes to intelligence and IQ, elephants are often ranked at the top of the list. Aristotle described them as animals that "surpass all other animals in intelligence and thought," and modern animal behaviourists generally consider them among the most intelligent creatures.
Historical records show that elephants befriended humans early on and provided assistance to them. They are very intelligent and can open up pathways; they can also bury dead companions in fallen leaves and branches. Elephants have a long lifespan, typically living up to 70 years old. They reach sexual maturity between 10 to 15 years old, and the pregnancy period can last up to 22 months.
Elephants are widely distributed, having left their footprints on all continents except for Oceania and Antarctica. However, today there are mainly two categories of elephants: Asian and African.
In May-June 2020, hundreds of elephants died from unknown causes in Botswana's Okavango Delta. National Parks Rescue co-founder Mark Healy called the elephant deaths "one of the biggest disasters to affect elephants this century.
From intricately designed temples to one of Thailand's most famous drinks, elephants certainly have a reputation in Thailand, where they are the country's national animal. There are many reasons why this giant animal was chosen as the national symbol of Thailand. One key reason is that the Thai people appreciate the elephant's incredible strength, durability, and longevity.
The white elephant (actually pinker in colour) is also a symbol of royalty in Thailand. According to Buddhist tradition, on the eve of the Buddha's birth, his mother had a dream in which a white elephant gave her a lotus flower. It was even on the Siamese flag until the early 1900s. Since white elephants are very rare, they are only used for royal duties.
Every animal has natural enemies, which helps keep the ecosystem in balance and the food chain intact. So for a behemoth like an elephant, what animal can restrain them? In the past, people were obsessed with ivory, which led to overhunting and killing of elephants, resulting in a huge decline in their numbers.
Although the world has now banned the ivory trade, people who want to get rich still take the risk, so elephants still die for this reason. Additionally, many forests and grasslands are now severely degraded, so elephants have less and less habitat to survive, resulting in a small population, especially for African elephants.
Despite their immense strength, elephants are quite fragile when young. If an adult elephant does not protect the baby, it is in danger of becoming prey to tigers, leopards, wolves, and other fierce animals. This makes growing up difficult for elephants.
Furthermore, elephants' large size makes them slow, which makes it difficult to escape from danger. If they encounter fast wolves that live in packs, it is also very dangerous since wolves are agile and cooperate well with each other, making it easy for them to hunt and kill an elephant.
Therefore, although elephants do not have natural enemies, they are not the rulers of the animal kingdom. Their inherent weaknesses make them vulnerable to attack by fierce animals and human actions, which can cause their numbers to decline.
