For some people and some animals, these interactions are beneficial experiences, while for others, they can be dangerous. Elephants are one of the most iconic land animal species on the planet, and while they are magnificent and brilliant, they can also be a threat to human life and do a great deal of damage to crops and property.
Fences and fiery insects
Conservationists have been working for decades to find ways to keep these gigantic landscape architects safe by fencing them in or out of spaces, with mixed results. Fences strong enough to contain elephants are costly, and elephants are creative about finding ways around or through them, especially when hungry! People have tried other ways to deter elephants from entering human areas, including using bee hives because elephants (like humans) dislike being stung on their trunks and will avoid beehives if possible. In the past decade, another idea has been pioneered by scientists at the University of the Witwatersrand led by Professor Sue Webb – using sound.
Listening on the low end of the sonic spectrum
Elephants communicate with each other using sounds, including sounds with very low frequencies (infrasound). Humans can usually only hear sound frequencies between 20 (low frequency) and 20 000 Hertz (high frequency) and sounds lower than this may be “felt” as a buzzing or vibration in the air.
Whales, bats, hippos and giraffes all use infrasound for communication. Migratory birds are thought to use naturally occurring infrasound from the landscape to assist them when navigating their trans-continental routes. Elephants have large ears, and their size and position, as well as the specialised parts inside the elephants’ heads, assist elephants in detecting infrasound at long distances.
The language of elephants
African elephants have the most prominent voice box of all elephant species and can generate the lowest frequency sounds. These infrasound messages help the elephants decide where to go and which areas to avoid because another elephant family uses that area or there is some form of danger. Infrasonic sounds also help the herd to share their excitement when they have been separated and reunited. Elephants can detect subtle differences in infrasonic frequency and, for example, can distinguish between thunder and other explosions, and Elephants can hear wind turbines, which also produce infrasound.
Can we communicate?
Infrasound has been tested as a way to communicate with elephants by sharing a recording of an elephant signalling that there is a danger to deter the animals from entering (for example) a field of watermelons – but these intelligent animals soon discovered that the signals were not “real”, leading to scientists adding a seismic element to these communications, which have not had conclusive results to date. Elephants are so intelligent that scientists are confident that, in time, they will find ways to communicate effectively with these animals and perhaps negotiate with them.
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Swimming with Elephants
Have you ever seen elephants disappear? No, it’s not a magic trick but something we have seen with our eyes. How? Well, have you ever seen an Elephant swim? First, you see something moving out of the corner of your eye, and you smile when you realize that elephants are nearby. You sit quietly by the dam, not daring to move, hoping that they will come fully into view. Next, you see them silently running to the waterhole; it’s a race, and the victor always looks incredibly pleased with themself. They pause, take a drink and start splashing themselves with the water. And then the magic happens.
