Asian elephants
Coverage of Asian elephants in the Nexus archive.
- Elephant alert! AI warning systems aim to avoid deadly clashes
India, home to 60% of the world's wild Asian elephants, faces lethal human-elephant conflicts due to habitat encroachment, with over 3,000 human deaths in five years and 1,000 elephant deaths since 2014. AI-based warning systems are being developed to reduce response times from hours to seconds, aiming to prevent these clashes.
- Happy, who taught researchers that elephants can recognize themselves, is euthanized at Bronx Zoo
Happy, a 55-year-old Asian elephant at the Bronx Zoo known for demonstrating self-awareness through mirror recognition, was euthanized due to age-related health issues. She became central to an animal rights case and served as an ambassador for elephant conservation. The Bronx Zoo now has only one elephant, Patty, following Happy's death.
- Whatever the mirror test tells us, beluga whales pass it
Beluga whales Natasha and Maris passed the mirror self-recognition test in a study published in PLOS One, indicating self-awareness. This achievement places them in an exclusive list of species, including great apes, dolphins, and elephants, that have demonstrated this cognitive ability.