Elephant Calf Burial Rituals Uncovered in India's Tea Estates

March 6, 2024

Discovering Mourning: How Asian Elephants Honor Their Young

In a moving revelation from northern West Bengal's tea estates, researchers have documented a touching aspect of Asian elephant society: their rituals for mourning and burying dead calves. These rituals, involving transport over long distances and careful burial in irrigation pits with the calves placed upside down, signify a level of emotional depth and communal care that mirrors human mourning practices. The discovery underscores the elephants' heightened sense of awareness and collective effort in the face of loss, providing a rare glimpse into the intricate social bonds that govern their communities.

Read the full story here: 'They are very well aware of their agency': Elephant calf burial ritual discovered in India | Live Science

Highlights

• Asian elephants exhibit elaborate burial rituals for their dead calves, involving the transportation and burial of the bodies in tea estate irrigation drains.
• The ritual underscores elephants' awareness and intention, suggesting a deep emotional and cognitive complexity.
• Evidence indicates these practices are not random but highly organized, with specific positioning of the calves' bodies for burial.
• This behavior is a clear indication of mourning, with elephants avoiding burial sites as if to respect the deceased and express grief.
• The selection of tea estates for burials likely reflects elephants' adaptation to human-altered landscapes and avoidance of human disturbances.
• These observations contribute significantly to the understanding of animal intelligence, particularly in terms of social and emotional behaviors.

A groundbreaking study published in the Journal of Threatened Taxa sheds light on the previously undocumented burial practices of Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) in the eastern Himalayan floodplains of northern West Bengal. The research, led by Parveen Kaswan of the Indian Forest Service and Akashdeep Roy from the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, reveals that these elephants carry their dead calves over vast distances to bury them in pre-dug irrigation pits on tea estates. The study observed that calves, all under a year old and deceased from natural causes, were placed upside down with their legs protruding from the ground before being covered with soil by herd members.

This practice highlights not only the elephants' ability to engage in complex social behaviors but also their capacity for grief and mourning. Unlike any previously recorded elephant burial behavior, the positioning of the bodies and the use of soil rather than vegetation marks a distinct method of honoring the dead. The elephants' choice of burial sites within tea estates speaks to their understanding and adaptation to their environment, carefully selecting locations that minimize human disturbance and maximize the sanctity of the burial act.

The emotional intelligence of elephants is further evidenced by their reactions post-burial. Researchers noted that the herds exhibited vocalizations of distress, avoided the paths leading to the burial sites out of respect or grief, and expressed a clear sense of loss. Such behaviors provide profound insights into the cognitive and emotional depths of elephants, challenging long-standing perceptions of animal intelligence and social complexity. The findings spotlight the importance of recognizing the intrinsic value and rights of elephant populations, urging stronger conservation efforts to protect these sophisticated creatures and their habitats.

Read the full article here.

Essential Insights

• Asian elephants (Elephas maximus): A species of elephants in the eastern Himalayan floodplains of northern West Bengal known for their intricate burial rituals for deceased calves.
• Parveen Kaswan: An officer with the Indian Forest Service who co-authored the study documenting elephant calf burials.
• Akashdeep Roy: A researcher at the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research, co-author of the study on elephant burial practices.
• Journal of Threatened Taxa: The publication that featured the study on Asian elephant burials.
• West Bengal Forest Department: The department that provided image evidence of the elephant burials in tea estates.