Elephants Never Forget Human Voices
Elephants are known to be highly intelligent animals, with a complex social and communication system. But new research by Dr. Karen McComb, a Professor of Animal Behaviour and Cognition at the University of Sussex in Brighton, England, had found that elephants can determine a lot about a human from the sound of a voice. The elephants studied in Kenya were exposed to recorded voices of members of both Maasai and Kamba tribes, speaking in their native language.The elephants responded dramatically to the male Maasai voice in particular, by taking up a defensive stance, protecting the young and moving away together. Historically, Maasai men have speared elephants to keep them away from their cattle. The more agricultural Kamba do not pose a threat to the elephants. The study shows that even if elephants have not had a direct encounter with the Maasai, the danger is still recognized by the sound of their voice.
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