From Africa’s plains to British India – the elephant bestrides the world

This edited article about animals originally appeared in Look and Learn issue number 867 published on 26 August 1978.

A ceremonial Indian elephant carrying a Maharajah

What animal went to war against the Romans in 218 BC? What animal makes a purring sound when it wishes to give a warning of danger? The answer to both these questions is: the elephant.

Some of these large animals marched with an army led by Hannibal, a general from Carthage in North Africa, against the Romans. But few survived the perilous trek over the Alps into Italy, and they contributed little to the victories Hannibal gained before his eventual defeat.

Most of Hannibal’s elephants were from the African forests. The rest were Indian elephants which the Carthaginians had acquired from traders.

Although elephants at one time roamed over most of the world, the Indian and the African are the only two kinds which remain. The African is the larger and is the one most often seen in zoos. This elephant’s very large ears are not so much an aid to hearing as a help in keeping cool. The large surface area of the ears assists in the distribution of body heat, and when waved they also act as fans.

The Indian elephant lives in the forests where there is more shade, so it is not necessary for it to have such large ears.

Of the two species, the African elephant is the larger, standing over three-and-a-half metres at the shoulder. Its forehead slopes back much more than that of the Indian, and its trunk is more furrowed, with two lips at the end instead of one. Its tusks are usually longer. It is these tusks which have made the elephant a target for poachers in Africa and Asia.

The variety of protection offered to elephants in Africa varies from country to country. There are about 100,000 in Africa, many in national parks. But these parks are so huge that it is impossible to completely protect the elephants from the poachers, who kill them for their tusks, which are then exported. Asia’s elephants are also protected in national parks, but the danger to those outside these parks comes primarily from the loss of their habitat when this is taken for agriculture or housing.

Is it true that elephants purr? A tummy-rumbling sound they make has been attributed to the amount of vegetation they digest. However, in the last few years, some experts have declared this to be a kind of purring made as a warning that danger may be approaching.

Elephant cows and calves live a family life, and several families may combine together to form a herd. Mature bull elephants join the herd from time to time in order to find a mate, but they are not permanent members of the herd. They go off on their own or gang up with other bulls to form a sort of bachelors’ club. This usually consists of just a few animals.

There is no particular breeding season. A family or herd may be on the move when one of the cows halts to give birth. Another cow stands by to help out, assisted perhaps by a grown-up calf. The calf, if it is African, will live for up to 50 years. The Indian elephant has been known to live for over 70 years.

The elephant has always been regarded as a majestic animal. It is not surprising that in many eastern lands it has been thought a fitting mount for kings and other dignitaries.