EleFact

EleFact Friday: A Unique Gait

How Elephants Walk When sharing videos of the sanctuary residents, we often receive questions about their gaits, particularly about Rana and Mara. You may have noticed that Mara has an old permanent injury to her right front wrist, affecting her walk, and Rana has a fused elbow from a childhood…...

Read more

EleFact Friday: Gene Mutation in the Wild

Mutations in the Wild African Elephant Population We all know that elephant numbers are dwindling around the world, primarily due to ivory poaching and trophy hunting. A recent study focused on African elephants of both species (savanna and forest) and found that, even though numbers are low, the health of…...

Read more

EleFact Friday: Becoming Tuskless

Over the past few years, scientists have noticed a fascinating and concerning trend in wild African elephants. This EleFact Friday, we’re looking at what researchers discovered regarding the tusks of African elephants in Mozambique, and what it means for the future of elephants in Africa. According to observations, genetic mutations…...

Read more

EleFact Friday: Memory and Survival

Elephants Have Long Memories It’s EleFACT Friday, and you may remember that we’ve touched on the amazing elephant memory a few times before. In the past couple of years, reports have shown that the memory of an elephant may be more important than we previously believed – and it may…...

Read more

EleFact Friday: Whisker Business

Sensing With Whiskers We’ve written before about elephant whiskers and how they differ from those of other mammals like cats or rats. These keratin-based fibers can sometimes sense frequencies and map out an animal’s surroundings as they come into contact with objects around them. Unlike those of the furry animals, elephant…...

Read more

EleFact Friday: All About Footwork

So many elephants in captivity suffer from poor foot health. Foot conditions contribute to a high number of captive elephant deaths each year, something that wild elephants don’t have to deal with. In their natural habitats, elephants walk long distances on organic surfaces, so their pads and nails wear as…...

Read more