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Happy EleFact Friday. We all know by now that elephants are emotional beings, highly intelligent and in tune with their feelings. We can add to this list of amazing mental and emotional capabilities the ability to be self-aware. 

This self-awareness, or the ability to recognize that they exist as an individual that is separate from others, is rare in the animal kingdom. This understanding can also lead to recognition that other beings exist and have their own feelings or experiences as well, and is linked to empathy. Humans, apes, and dolphins have all been studied extensively to compare levels of self-awareness, typically done by placing the animal in front of a mirror and analyzing their reactions. Sometimes a mark is placed upon the being to see if it is noticed in their reflection. Upon initial glance, almost all species tend to make social gestures, inspect the mirror, and even look behind it. But elephants have been shown to conduct repetitive tests, like touching their face to see if the reflection does the same or touching the mark on their head straight away once seeing it in their reflection. It is believed that some animals begin to understand that the image in the mirror is itself while others seem to recognize this straight away. 

The tests we have read about only back up what we already know – elephant behavior shows that they are deeply empathetic and capable of incredible emotion. Because of this, it’s important to acknowledge that many elephants in captivity are facing emotional conflict and trauma. This is one of the reasons why sanctuary is important – it allows for these animals to heal from these emotional wounds and experience all of the joys that the world has to offer.

Photo of Mara having her breakfast of hay, fruits, and vegetables