Social Behaviour of Male Asian Elephants

In News

The researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) studied social behaviour of male Asian elephants.

• Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) is an autonomous laboratory of the Government of India’s Department of Science and Technology, will collect and analyze data on identified non-muscular wild behavior.

About

• The study had collected and analyzed data on behaviour of identified wild Asian elephants of Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks.
• This study is one of the few studies investigating the association of male species in which males move between social groups.
•  It provides an example of how ecological differences can promote differences in related species of male societies with similar male reproductive strategies.

Key Highlights of the Study

• They found that the time spent by male Asian elephants in all-male and mixed groups depends on the age of the male. 
• Adult Asian male elephants preferred to spend time alone rather than mixed-sex or groups of all males. 
• Moreover, older men were found primarily with peers of the same age, and less often in younger men (ages 15-30). Also, young men did not disproportionately start relationships with older men.
• Adult male Asian elephants are less social than females. They enter estrus — a spouse search strategy for older men (aged 30 and over) each year. 
• Researchers hypothesized that when adult males enter estrus, dominant relationships can affect the number of mating opportunities they obtain. 
• Therefore, it may be more important for older men than younger men to test each other’s strengths and resolve dominance during their non-muscular time.

About Asian Elephants

• The Asian elephant (Elephas maximus) is polygynous, with males and females exhibiting different morphologies and adult lifestyles.
• They are  the largest land mammals on the Asian continent. 
• Asian elephants are extremely sociable, forming groups of six to seven related females that are led by the oldest female, the matriarch.
• It lives in forested regions of India and throughout Southeast Asia, including Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, and Laos.
• There are three subspecies of Asian elephant which are the Indian, Sumatran and Sri Lankan.
• IUCN Status: Endangered
• Protection: It is protected under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
• It is included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).
• Threats:  Habitat loss, fragmentation, human-elephant conflict, poaching and illegal trade of elephants.
• Status in India: India is home to the largest number of Asiatic Elephants. There are around 28,000 elephants in India with around 25% of them in Karnataka.

Difference between African Elephant and Asian Elephant

Steps taken by India in Elephant Preservation

• Project Elephant: A Centrally-sponsored Scheme of the Ministry of Environment and Forests to provide financial assistance to the states.
• Elephant corridors and reserve:  Elephant corridors are secured through voluntary relocation of settlements and/or acquisition of land.
• Training:  Training and awareness camps are organized regularly for local people for the conservation of elephants and other wildlife. 
  • Construction of barriers like boundary walls and solar-powered electric fences around the sensitive areas to prevent wild animal attacks.
• Elephant and Train collisions:  A number of measures have been taken by Railways in coordination with Ministry of Environment and Forest which include the following:
  • The imposition of speed restrictions in identified locations.  Provision of signage board. 
  • Sensitization of Train Crew and Station Masters on a regular basis.  
  • Need-based clearance of vegetation on the sides of the track within railway land 
  • Construction of underpasses and ramps for the movement of elephants at identified locations. 
• Elephant in captivity:  Proper guidelines and SOPs are issued for those areas where elephants are kept in captivity.
• Operation Thunderbird: To fight against wildlife crime, Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, coordinated “OPERATION THUNDERBIRD” in India.

Source: TH