Elephants Show Human Level Self-Awreness

Elephants also share a lot of human emotions, they will cry when in extreme distress! Poor babies, I donate money to Wildlife Organizations esp to save beautiful creatures such as these.

My iguana, though I love her with all my heart, will only try to kill the reflection she sees when she sits infront of the mirror. But she also likes it because she likes company I guess.

I love elephants.

They're way cooler than dolphins. Stupid aquatic mammals, think they're so smart.

I don't know about protecting them from harm though, and giving them the status of humans...

I think if we allow them to develop naturally, they'll become something even more amazing in spite of, or maybe even because of, the adversity inherent in their daily existence.

Environmental pressure is a sure-fire way to speed development. Of course too much pressure can wipe a species out, but I have a feeling the elephants can cut it. They're really amazing creatures.

What fascinates me the most about them is their ability to communicate over vast distances with very low frequencies, and their memory of course (which is just phenomenal). I just love it when nature one-ups our technology - it should be our cue to show a little humility in the face of the splendour all around us.

I really love this report. Has anyone found a location that has a more comprehensive final report on the tests? I have so many questions on if the elephants were segregated before starting the test, were the elephants allowed to view themselves in the mirror before the test marks were applied, etc. If any one finds more details on the controls of the testing, would you u2u me the link?

I remember seeing a program on elephant migrations. It seems that female elephants have a social memory'
news.bbc.co.uk...

Also, the program mentioned that the elephants travel the same route to get to water. And that when they see the bones of another elephant, they show some sort of emotion.
I haven't found a link for that, maybe someone else remembers that program?

I don't have a link right now, but I do recall reading that elephants who are shown spots for finding water, just once, by their mother, can find the spot again years later.

They also seem to know where the 'graveyards' are, without ever having been to them.

Pretty amazing stuff...

I'll see if I can find a link on the memory.

Here's what you were talking about DToM (I think) - social memory:
news.bbc.co.uk...

[edit on 4-11-2006 by WyrdeOne]

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
I don't have a link right now, but I do recall reading that elephants who are shown spots for finding water, just once, by their mother, can find the spot again years later.

They also seem to know where the 'graveyards' are, without ever having been to them.

I've seen all these things in nature shows on Discovery and PBS etc.

Elephants are amazing animals and should be treated as intelligent creatures, not caged circus clowns.

Originally posted by looking4truth

Ok, this is the kind of thing I love.

How can you make the leap from "elephant recognizes self in mirror" to giving them human level emotions and motivations?

They wouldn't have and shouldn't be expected to have "human level emotions and motivations". They have had millions of years of seperate evolution, and they are now "specialized" for thier own existance. BTW, this would also be true of any aliens. For this reason it would be a mistake to say they can't be intelligent because they can't do this or that human thing.

I agree with the OP.

Any creature that shows evidence of self awarness, emotions, and basic reasoning skills should be afforded some system of protections. It's funny, 10-12 years ago I would have LMAO at anyone saying something like that but you know what? We all learn as we go. Evolution is a slow process. I think many complex mamalian life forms are capable of developing varying degrees of intelligence given enough time.

As the most intelligent species on earth presently, it's our moral responsibility to treat other less intelligent species with care and kindness.

I think it's possible that elephants and other creatures are actually more intelligent than humans. Ok, they can't use human technology or make tools (as far as i know) but they have a far superior memory, methd of communication, strength and logic. Just because they can't speak or use most human designs doesn't mean they are inferior to us. Who knows what they think about?

reply to post by iori_komei


They have no voice, so we must speak up for them.

Ropes, Hooks and Electric Prods Used to Train Elephants
Behind the scenes, elephant trainer Tim Frisco instructs would-be trainers how to dominate elephants and make them perform circus tricks. “Sink that hook into ’em. When you hear that screaming, then you know you got their attention.” An elephant trumpets in agony as Frisco’s bullhook, with its sharp metal hook and spiked end, tears through her sensitive skin. Frisco, a Carson & Barnes elephant trainer, learned the trade from his father, a former trainer for Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus. Click here to watch the video.

The fact is, animals do not naturally ride bicycles, stand on their heads, balance on balls, or jump through rings of fire. To force them to perform these confusing and physically uncomfortable tricks, trainers use whips, tight collars, muzzles, electric prods, bullhooks, and other painful tools of the trade.

We applaud trapeze artists, jugglers, clowns, tightrope walkers, and acrobats, but let’s leave animals in peace. Sweden, Austria, Costa Rica, India, Finland, and Singapore have all banned or restricted the use of animals in entertainment—it’s time for the U.S. to do the same.
www.circuses.com...

When Ziggy (Chicago) was alive I would go and talk to him. he would come up as close as possible and look at me. He recognized me and would start walking towards me as I approached the little yard they kept him in. A truely magnificent being. Looking into his eyes, I saw sorrow, a deep sadness and a keen intellegence.

Ziggy (ca. 1917–October 27, 1975)[1] was a male Indian elephant who lived at Brookfield Zoo outside Chicago from 1936 to 1975. He weighed about six tons and was over ten feet tall.[2] After attacking and nearly killing his keeper in 1941, Ziggy was chained to the wall of an indoor enclosure, and remained there for nearly three decades. His confinement became a cause célèbre in the late 1960s, when schoolchildren and other animal enthusiasts began campaigning for his release. Ziggy was briefly allowed to go outside in 1970, and a year later, the zoo completed a new outdoor facility specifically designed for the elephant. However, Ziggy only had a few years of freedom, as he died in 1975.

What Wikipedia doesn't tell you in the article above is that Ziggy killed his '"trainer" after enduring years of beatings.

You would stomp on your "trainer" too if they beat and degraded you, with no way of escaping, no way of being able to leave your horrible situation.

The other beings we share this planet with are not ours to do with as we like. That attitude is total arrogance.

People that say, "they are just animals" "they do not feel like we do" "they are not as smart as us" are deluding themselves, removing themselves from "knowing" because, with that knowledge comes responsiblity to "do the right thing".



[edit on 1-5-2010 by ofhumandescent]