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Cited by 138Primate Behavior and EcologyAnimal Behavior and Welfare StudiesHuman-Animal Interaction Studies

Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus ) reassure others in distress

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Plotnik, Joshua M., de Waal, Frans B.M.·2014·PeerJ
DOI 10.7717/peerj.278PMC PMC3932735
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Abstract

Contact directed by uninvolved bystanders toward others in distress, often termed consolation, is uncommon in the animal kingdom, thus far only demonstrated in the great apes, canines, and corvids. Whereas the typical agonistic context of such contact is relatively rare within natural elephant families, other causes of distress may trigger similar, other-regarding responses. In a study carried out at an elephant camp in Thailand, we found that elephants affiliated significantly more with other individuals through directed, physical contact and vocal communication following a distress event than in control periods. In addition, bystanders affiliated with each other, and matched the behavior and emotional state of the first distressed individual, suggesting emotional contagion. The initial distress responses were overwhelmingly directed toward ambiguous stimuli, thus making it difficult to determine if bystanders reacted to the distressed individual or showed a delayed response to the same stimulus. Nonetheless, the directionality of the contacts and their nature strongly suggest attention toward the emotional states of conspecifics. The elephants' behavior is therefore best classified with similar consolation responses by apes, possibly based on convergent evolution of empathic capacities.

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  • Asian elephants can use olfactory cues to determine where food is present and where it is not and to discriminate between dung from females based on reproductive state.

    “Asian elephants can use olfactory cues to determine where food is present and where it is not (Plotnik et al., 2014) and to discrimate between dung from females based on reproductive state (Ghosal et al., 2012).”

    From Do elephants really never forget? What we know about elephant memory and a call for further investigation (2025) · cites this paper as Plotnik et al., 2014

    The Plotnik et al. citation is attached only to the claim about using olfactory cues to locate food; the dung claim cites Ghosal et al. The Materials and methods passages describe feeding routines and observations of distress, but do not address smelling food or distinguishing locations where food is present from those where it is absent. Searches for olfactory food-location cues found no supporting passage in our copy. (LLM, conf=0.75)

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Authors
Plotnik, J. M., & de Waal, F. B. M.
Affiliations
  • Emory University (US)
  • Living Links, Yerkes National Primate Research Center and Department of Psychology, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
Corresponding author
Plotnik, Joshua M.
ORCID
Plotnik, Joshua M.
Venue
PeerJ
Publisher
PeerJ
Published
2014-02-18
Volume
2
Pages
e278
ISSN
2167-8359 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.7717/peerj.278
PMC
PMC3932735
OpenAlex
W2044727056
Cited by
138
References
71
Citations by year
2026: 11 · 2025: 9 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 12 · 2022: 14 · 2021: 23 · 2020: 8 · 2019: 8 · 2018: 12 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 10 · 2014: 2
FWCI
13.85
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
cc-by
Locations
  • PeerJ (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
National Institutes of Health (P51OD011132)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
  • Health Sciences › Veterinary › Small Animals › Animal Behavior and Welfare Studies
  • Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Genetics › Human-Animal Interaction Studies
Keywords
Asian elephant, emotional contagion, empathy, social affiliation, bystander behavior, distress, vocal communication, physical contact, convergent evolution, animal cognition

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