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74-543: Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary (formerly Chapramari Wildlife Reserve , pron: ˌʧʌprəˈmɑ:rɪ or ˌʧæprəˈmɑ:rɪ) is close to the Gorumara National Park . Chapramari is about 30 kilometres from Chalsa and Lataguri in northern West Bengal , India . The total coverage of the forest is 960 hectares. In 1896, an imperial forest-service administrator D.H.E. Sander first sent a proposal to the-then English-dominated Government of India that Chapramari could be developed into

148-594: A bull elephant from a herd that kept breaking into the government gardens of northern Kenya. George gave the elephant's meat to local Turkana tribesmen and then dragged the rest of the carcass half a mile (800 m) away. That night, the other elephants found the body and took the shoulder blade and leg bone and returned the bones to the exact spot the elephant was killed. Poole has observed wild African elephants at play on many occasions. They apparently do things for their own and others' entertainment. Elephants have been seen sucking up water, holding their trunk high in

222-501: A gyral pattern more complex and with more numerous convolutions, or brain folds, than that of humans, other primates , or carnivores , but less complex than that of cetaceans . Elephants are believed to rank equal with dolphins in terms of problem-solving abilities, and many scientists tend to rank elephant intelligence at the same level as cetaceans; a 2011 article published by ABC Science suggests that, "elephants [are as] smart as chimps , [and] dolphins ". Elephants also have

296-438: A Kenyan game warden, regarding an old Turkana woman who fell asleep under a tree after losing her way home. When she woke up, there was an elephant standing over her, gently touching her. She kept very still because she was very frightened. As other elephants arrived, they began to scream loudly and buried her under branches. She was found the next morning by the local herdsmen, unharmed. George Adamson also recalls when he shot

370-492: A South African biologist who had studied elephants in Addo, South Africa , for over eight years. The entire family of a dead matriarch , including her young calf, were all gently touching her body with their trunks, trying to lift her. The elephant herd were all rumbling loudly. The calf was observed to be weeping and made sounds that sounded like a scream, but then the entire herd fell silent. They then began to throw leaves and dirt over

444-415: A cooperative relationship with an elephant named Koko. Koko would help the keepers out, "prompting" them to encourage him with various commands and words that Koko would learn. Peachey stated that elephants are almost predisposed to cooperate and work with humans as long as they are treated with respect and sensitivity. Koko worked out when his keepers needed a bit of "elephant help" when they were transferring

518-489: A family can be devastated by the death of another (especially a matriarch), and some groups never recover their organization. Cynthia Moss has observed a mother, after the death of her calf, walk sluggishly at the back of a family for many days. Edward Topsell stated in his publication The History of Four-Footed Beasts in 1607, "There is no creature among all the Beasts of the world which hath so great and ample demonstration of

592-410: A goods train bound for Chalsa knocked down a pregnant Elephant at pillar 68 of Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary. The accident was so severe that the calf the mother elephant was carrying in her womb came out when the speeding goods train pierced through the pachyderm's belly. The elephant along with the unborn calf died on the spot. The wildlife experts and enthusiasts were in a state of shock when they heard

666-553: A hallmark of complex intelligence . A 2010 experiment revealed that in order to reach food, "elephants can learn to coordinate with a partner in a task requiring two individuals to simultaneously pull two ends of the same rope to obtain a reward", putting them on an equal footing with chimpanzees in terms of their level of cooperative skills. A study by Dr. Naoko Irie of Tokyo University has shown that elephants demonstrate skills at arithmetic. The experiment "consist[ed] of dropping varying numbers of apples into two buckets in front of

740-533: A large resident population of wild boar , but the critically endangered pygmy hog has been reported from the park. It also has numerous rodents, including giant squirrels . The rare hispid hare has also been reported from the park. Birds at the Gorumara National Park include submontane forest species like the scarlet minivet , sunbird , asian paradise flycatchers , spangled drongo , and Indian hornbill . Numerous woodpeckers and pheasants inhabit

814-408: A picture of another elephant became widespread on Internet news and video websites. The website Snopes.com , which specializes in debunking urban legends, lists the video as "partly true", in that the elephant produced the brush strokes, but notes that the similarity of the produced paintings is indicative of a learned sequence of strokes rather than a creative effort on the part of the elephant. It

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888-478: A remarkable ability to use tools , using their trunks like arms. Elephants have been observed digging holes to drink water and then ripping bark from a tree, chewing it into the shape of a ball, filling in the hole and covering over it with sand to avoid evaporation , then later going back to drink from the same spot. They also often use branches to swat flies or scratch themselves. Asian elephants have also been known to drop large rocks onto an electric fence to break

962-488: A search party was sent in a truck to find him. When the party discovered him, he was being guarded by an elephant. The animal charged the truck, so they shot over her and scared her away. The herdsman later told them that when he could not stand up, the elephant used her trunk to lift him under the shade of a tree. She guarded him for the day and would gently touch him with her trunk. Elephants in Africa self-medicate by chewing on

1036-408: A string is not only a product of rapid learning but may involve some understanding of cause–effect relation between string, food and certain body parts." String-pulling behavior has been likewise studied in seven Asian elephants by presenting them with a retractable (bungee) cord. In this setup, the cord is tied to a heavy log a few meters away from the elephant. A sugarcane (a favorite elephant treat)

1110-490: A study to understand the low-frequency vocalization elephants used to communicate across short-distances. The research found that closely allied female elephants were more likely to produce 'rumbles' to other members at twice the rate of those who had lesser integrated members. Female elephants are able to remember and distinguish the contact calls of female family and bond group members from those of females outside of their extended family network. They can also distinguish between

1184-539: A tourism centre. The area was declared a national reserve forest in 1895 under the Indian Forest Act . In 1939, the name Chapramari Wildlife Reserve came to be used, while the Government of India, in 1998, gave it the status of a national wildlife sanctuary . The name of the region comes from 'Chapra', a variety of small fishes found in northern Bengal, and 'Mari', meaning 'abundance'. Chapramari receives waters from

1258-933: A unique form of mimicry. He was in a Swiss zoo with some Asian elephants. Asian elephants use chirps that are different from African elephants' deep rumbling noises. Calimero also began to chirp and not make the deep calls that his species normally would. Kosik , an Indian elephant at Everland Amusement Park, South Korea can imitate up to five Korean words, including sit , no , yes and lie down . Kosik produces these human-like sounds by putting his trunk in his mouth and then shaking it while breathing out, similar to how people whistle with their fingers. Ecologist Caitlin O'Connell-Rodwell conducted research in 1997 which concluded that elephants create low-frequency vibrations (seismic signals) through their trunks and feet to communicate across long distances. Elephants use contact calls to stay in touch with one another when they are out of one another's sight. In 2004, Joseph Soltis conducted

1332-459: A very large and highly complex neocortex , a trait also shared by humans , apes and certain dolphin species. Asian elephants have the greatest volume of cerebral cortex available for cognitive processing of all existing land animals. It exceeds that of any primate species, with one study suggesting elephants be placed in the category of great apes in terms of cognitive abilities for tool use and tool making. The elephant brain exhibits

1406-448: A very large and highly convoluted hippocampus , a brain structure in the limbic system that is much bigger than that of any human, primate or cetacean . The hippocampus of an elephant takes up about 0.7% of the central structures of the brain, comparable to 0.5% for humans and with 0.1% in Risso's dolphins and 0.05% in bottlenose dolphins. The hippocampus is linked to emotion through

1480-413: Is 79.99 km (30.88 sq mi) in area. The temperature ranges from 10 to 21 °C (50 to 70 °F) from November to February, 24 to 27 °C (75 to 81 °F) from March to April and 27 to 37 °C (81 to 99 °F) from May to October. Rainfall mostly occurs between mid-May to mid-October and average annual rainfall is 382 cm (150 in). The park forest bungalow dates back to

1554-429: Is about four times the size of a human brain and the heaviest of any terrestrial animal . It has about 257 billion neurons , which is about three times the amount of neurons as a human brain. However, the cerebral cortex , which is the major center of cognition, has only about one-third of the number of neurons as a human's cerebral cortex. While elephant brains look similar to those of humans and other mammals and has

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1628-441: Is attached to the cord, and can only be retrieved by repeated, coordinated, action of the trunk and another body part. The results were clearcut: All seven logging elephants fully mastered the string-drawing sequence within 1–3 experimental sessions. In all cases of retractable rope pulling, the sequence involved pulling by the trunk, and then securing the rope by either foot or mouth. After 2–6 coordinated pulls, while still holding

1702-767: Is crossed by the New Jalpaiguri–Alipurduar–Samuktala Road Railway Line between Siliguri - Malbazar - Alipurduar . Elephants have been killed by trains in several incidents. On 2002 February 8, Siliguri–Alipurduar Intercity Express train killed one female elephant and injured two tuskers. An accident in which a goods train killed seven elephants in 2010 near Binnaguri led to a guideline speed of 40 km/h (25 mph) for trains being set by Indian Railways. At approximately 17:40 on 13 November 2013, an Assam -bound passenger train travelling through Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary, Jaipur - Kamakhya Kavi Guru Express (19709), approached

1776-741: Is known as the Dooars in West Bengal . The park is located on the flood plains of the Murti River and Raidak River . The major river of the park is the Jaldhaka river, a tributary of the Brahmaputra river system. In this regard, Gorumara is a significant watershed area between the Ganges and Brahmaputra river systems. The park is very close to Jaldapara National Park and Chapramari Wildlife Reserve . The park

1850-580: Is less instinctual than taught. This is further supported by the elephant's long juvenile period and large temporal lobes , which are associated in the storage of memories. Spindle cells appear to play a central role in the development of intelligent behavior. As well as in humans and the rest of the great apes, spindle neurons are also found in the brains of both Asian and African elephants, as well as humpback whales , fin whales , killer whales , sperm whales , bottlenose dolphins, Risso's dolphins , and beluga whales . The remarkable similarity between

1924-542: Is now commonly featured at zoos, and is shown in museums and galleries around the world. Ruby at the Phoenix Zoo is considered the original elephant art star, and her paintings have sold for as much as $ 25,000. Ruby chose her own colors and was said to have a keen sense of which color she wished to use. The Asian Elephant Art & Conservation Project, an "elephant art academy" in New York, teaches elephants retired from

1998-421: Is one way to estimate how much an animal relies on learning as opposed to instinct. The majority of mammals are born with a brain close to 90% of the adult weight, while humans are born with 28%, bottlenose dolphins with 42.5%, chimpanzees with 54%, and elephants with 35%. This may indicate that elephants require the second highest amount of learning while developing (next to humans), and that their behavior

2072-481: Is popular with bird watchers, with parakeets , kingfishers , and green pigeons found in abundance. In 2009, a marauding leopard was captured in Dooars and released into Chapramari. Malbazar Rail Station 15 kilometres away, is the closest major rail hub with Chalsa 7 km and Nagrakata 7.5 km the smaller ones. Chapramari is located around two hours' drive from Siliguri , the principal city in northern Bengal. The access from Jalpaiguri passes through

2146-548: Is rich in large herbivores including Indian rhinoceros , gaur , Asian elephant , sloth bear , chital , and sambar deer . Small herbivores include barking deer , hog deer and wild boar . There is a comparative lack of large carnivores, with the only big cat being the leopard . The park is not home to any resident population of Bengal tigers , Indian wild dogs , or Indian wolves . Tigers are, however, occasionally spotted here. It does have numerous small carnivores including various civets, mongooses and small cats. The park has

2220-539: Is suspended by a thread, the pulled in loop being held by the foot while the bird reaches with its beak for the next pull, is doubtfully inborn and it has been subject to many experiments. The act appears at first sight to be a real and sudden solution of the problem from the start, and thus to qualify for inclusion under 'insight learning.' Successful performance in this task has been documented in well over ten bird species. More recently, Bernd Heinrich and Thomas Bugnyar concluded that ravens' "behaviour in accessing meat on

2294-495: The British Raj era, and contains a well-maintained log book from its inception, which makes for interesting reading. However Gorumara is encircled by many ethnic villages. More than 10,000 resident forest villagers derive their income from sources including employment in forest department activities, ecotourism, etc. Some of the villages are Sarswati, Budhuram, Bichabhanga, Chatua, Kailipur and Murti Forest Village. The park falls in

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2368-563: The Indomalayan realm . Inside the park, the primary ecoregions and their corresponding to the biomes are: Both of these are typical of the Bhutan – Nepal –India Terai submontane region. Typical flora include: Gorumara is home to numerous tropical orchids. The park has recorded fifty species of mammals , 194 species of birds , 22 species of reptiles , 7 species of turtles , 27 species of fish , and other macro and micro fauna. The park

2442-530: The Jaldhaka River Bridge at approximately 80 km/h (50 mph) and collided with a herd of 40–50 Indian elephants , killing five adults, two calves, and injuring ten others. Surviving elephants initially fled but soon returned to the scene of the accident and remained there until being dispersed by officials. The accident has been described as the worst in recent history. Officials plan to launch an investigation into its cause. The train's speed at

2516-595: The Teesta , the Neora , Jaldhaka and the Murti . A large variety of flora and fauna are found in the forests . Chapramari is known for its elephant population. Gaur (commonly known as Indian bison) are not uncommon in the Chapramari region. Rhinoceros , Deer , boars , and leopards are also found here. However unlike Gorumara , Royal Bengal Tigers are not found here. The place

2590-587: The harmonica and various horn instruments . She reportedly always ended her songs with a crescendo . Recording group Thai Elephant Orchestra is an ensemble of elephants who improvise music on specially made instruments with minimal interaction from their handlers. The orchestra was co-founded by pachyderm expert Richard Lair, who works at the Thai Elephant Conservation Center in Lampang, and David Sulzer (artist name, Dave Soldier ) who studies

2664-419: The mahout (elephant trainer). At a certain hole, the elephant refused to lower the log. The mahout came to investigate the hold-up and noticed a dog sleeping in the hole. The elephant only lowered the log when the dog was gone. When an elephant is hurt, other elephants (even if they are unrelated) aid them. Moss has often seen elephants going out of their way to avoid hurting or killing a human, even when it

2738-599: The semantics and syntax of some of the words they hear. This is something thought to be very rare in the animal kingdom. According to one source, elephants can figure out how to retrieve distant objects that they cannot otherwise reach by using a stick. In the wild, elephants display clever methods of finding resources. Elephants have keen memories, and when evaluating foraging locations, respond more strongly to long‐term patterns of productivity than to immediate forage conditions. In times of scarcity, they return to areas which have been reliable over many years rather than

2812-734: The Gorumara national park and Murti River and at Gorumara Elephant Camp at Dhupjhora . One can stay in newly constructed cottages in the Kalipur village at the fringe of Gorumara built by the State Forest Department. There are many private resort at Lataguri and Ramsai . 13149 Kanchankannya Ex. reaches New Mal Jn every day. Bus or Taxi may be used by travelers to reach lataguri. NJP or Siliguri —→ Mainaguri or Malbazar —→ Lataguri or Ramsai Elephant cognition#Death ritual An elephant brain weighs around 5 kg (11 lb), which

2886-426: The [Ueno Zoo] elephants and then recording how often they could correctly choose the bucket holding the most fruit." When more than one apple was being dropped into the bucket, this meant that the elephants had to "keep running totals in their heads to keep track of the count." The results showed that "Seventy-four percent of the time, the animals correctly picked the fullest bucket. An African elephant named Ashya scored

2960-430: The air, and then spraying the water like a fountain. Recent studies have shown that elephants can also mimic sounds they hear. The discovery was found when Mlaika, an orphaned elephant, would copy the sound of trucks passing by. So far, the only other animals that are thought to mimic sounds are whales , dolphins , bats , primates and birds . Calimero, an African elephant who was 23 years old, also exhibited

3034-440: The body and broke off tree branches to cover her. They spent the next two days quietly standing over her body. They sometimes left to get water or food, but they would always return. Occurrences of elephants' behaving this way around human beings are common throughout Africa. On many occasions, they have buried dead or sleeping humans or aided them when they were hurt. Meredith also recalls an event told to him by George Adamson ,

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3108-475: The bones of their own kind (even unrelated elephants that have died long ago). They are often seen gently investigating the bones with their trunks and feet while remaining very quiet. Sometimes elephants that are completely unrelated to the deceased still visit their graves. Elephant researcher Martin Meredith recalls in his book an occurrence of a typical elephant death ritual as witnessed by Anthony Hall-Martin,

3182-531: The calls of family units depending upon how frequently they came across them. Poole, who is part of the Amboseli Elephant Research Project in Kenya, has demonstrated vocal learning and imitation in elephants of sounds made by each other and in the environment. She is beginning to research whether sounds made by elephants have dialects , a trait that is rare in the animal kingdom. Elephants show

3256-493: The dense forests of Lataguri - Batabari range. National Highway 17 and Chalsa - Bindu - Jaldhaka - Todey Tangta Road passes through the middle of the Chapramari Wildlife Sanctuary. Due to complications caused by monsoons , the wildlife sanctuary remains closed each year from mid-July to mid-September. West Bengal Forest Development Corporation Limited operates a Chapramari camp. The wildlife sanctuary

3330-413: The elephant brain and the human brain supports the thesis of convergent evolution . The elephant has one of the most closely knit societies of any living species. Elephant families can only be separated by death or capture. Cynthia Moss , an ethologist specialising in elephants, recalls an event involving a family of African elephants : Because elephants are so closely knit and highly matriarchal ,

3404-487: The elephants clearly do not understand that they require salt in their diet, they show interest only in the cation -rich zeolite , tusking it into smaller edible fragments. This activity is performed in groups, and years of tusk marks indicate the knowledge of the cave has been passed down over generations. Poaching has caused the elephants to alter their behavior and avoid the more widely known caves. In 1956, W. H. Thorpe explained: The ability to pull up food which

3478-423: The escapes, such as the animals looking around making sure no one was watching. In another case, a female elephant worked out how she could unscrew iron rods with an eye hole that was an inch (2.5 cm) thick. She used her trunk to create leverage and then untwisted the bolt. Ruby , an Asian elephant at Phoenix Zoo would often eavesdrop on conversations keepers would have talking about her. When she heard

3552-619: The ethnic tribal dance can be seen every evening in Budhuram Forest Village . One can visit the Lataguri Nature Interpretation Centre for an interpretive exhibit of the local natural history. The park forest bungalow is an old wooden rustic cottage which has a watchtower overlooking the salt reservoir. Accommodations are also available in River Wood Forest Retreats, a 4 star resort overlooking

3626-452: The females of the group to another zoo. When the keepers wanted to transfer a female, they would usually say her name, followed by the word transfer (e.g., "Connie transfer"). Koko soon figured out what this meant. If the keepers asked an elephant to transfer and it did not budge, they would say, "Koko, give me a hand." When he heard this, Koko would help. After 27 years of working with elephants, Peachey firmly believes that they can understand

3700-459: The fence or to cut off the electricity. Asian elephants in India have been known to break electric fences using logs and clear the surrounding wires using their tusks to provide a safe passageway. Like several other species that are able to produce abstract art , elephants, using their trunks to hold brushes, create paintings which some have compared to the work of abstract expressionists. Elephant art

3774-516: The highest with an amazing eighty-seven percent … Humans in this same contest managed a success rate of just sixty-seven percent." The study was also filmed to ensure its accuracy. A study on Discovery News found that elephants, during an intelligence test employing food rewards, had found shortcuts that not even the experiment's researchers had thought of. In the 1970s, at Marine World Africa, USA , there lived an Asian elephant named Bandula. Bandula worked out how to break open or unlock several of

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3848-472: The jungle. Hiking is permitted on metalled roads, but is potentially unsafe considering the population of elephants, gaur and rhinoceros present in the park. The park is closed in the Monsoon season from 16 June to 15 September. The best time to visit Gorumara is from November to March. One can also visit the adjoining forest villages to get acquainted with the lifestyle and culture of the villagers. A live show of

3922-513: The knocking down of the elephant by a speeding goods train. Gorumara National Park Gorumara National Park (Pron: ˌgɔ:rʊˈmɑ:rə; Gorumara Jatio Uddan ) is a national park in northern West Bengal , India. Located in the Dooars region of the Himalayan foothills, it is a medium-sized park with grasslands and forests . Gorumara National Park was established in 1992. It is primarily known for its population of Indian rhinoceros . The park

3996-492: The last sites visited. They also favor travelling on dirt roads in the dry season, as easy walking terrain to conserve energy. Although it is common for herbivores to find salt licks or to ingest inorganic matter for sodium, elephants in the Mount Elgon National Park , Kenya, have learned to venture deep into Kitum Cave to utilize its minerals in what has been described as 'quarrying' and 'salt mining'. Although

4070-407: The leaves of a tree from the family Boraginaceae , which induces labour . Kenyans also use this tree for the same purpose. Scientists often debate the extent to which elephants feel emotion. Elephants have been one of few species of mammals other than Homo sapiens sapiens and Neanderthals known to have or have had any recognizable ritual around death. Elephants show a keen interest in

4144-533: The logging industry to paint. For paintings that resemble identifiable objects, teachers give the elephants guidance. An example of this was shown in the TV program Extraordinary Animals , in which elephants at a camp in Thailand were able to draw portraits with flowers. Although the images were drawn by the elephants, there was always a trainer assisting and guiding the movement. A popular video showing an elephant painting

4218-583: The music scale and could remember simple melodies. Even though played on varying instruments and at different pitches, timbres and meters, she recognized the tones a year and a half later. These results have been backed up by the Human-Elephant Learning Project which studies elephant intelligence. An elephant named Shanthi at the National Zoo in Washington D.C. displayed the ability to play

4292-457: The overall average being 1.88. In comparison to other animals, the La Plata dolphin has an EQ of 1.67; the Ganges river dolphin of 1.55; the orca of 2.57; the bottlenose dolphin of 4.14; and the tucuxi dolphin of 4.56; chimpanzees at 2.49; dogs at 1.17, cats at 1.00; and mice at 0.50. Humans have an EQ of 7.44. Comparing brain size at birth to the size of a fully developed adult's brain

4366-565: The park. A recent issue at the park is the increasing number of train accidents involving elephants on railway lines near the park. Three elephants were killed in separate incidents on the same day in May 2006 in train mishaps. Indian Railways and park authorities are presently trying to address the problem. [1] There are numerous watchtowers at the park, facilitating wildlife observation. The watchtowers are: There are no ranger-led or otherwise four-wheel drive vehicle or elephant-back forays into

4440-456: The park. Peafowls are very common. The park is on the flyway of migratory birds including the rare brahminy duck . The park is home to a wide variety of snake species, venomous and non-venomous, including the famous Indian python , and the king cobra . The major conservation focus of the park is to maintain a viable breeding community of Indian rhinoceroses . However, the lack of large predators has caused significantly worrying skews in

4514-443: The pieces of equipment used to keep the shackles on her feet secure. The most complex device was a Brummel hook , a device that closes when two opposite points are slid together. Bandula used to fiddle with the hook until it slid apart when it was aligned. Once she had freed herself, she would help the other elephants escape. In Bandula's case and certainly with other captive elephants, there was an element of deception involved during

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4588-534: The populations of large herbivores in the park. The rhinoceros male:female ratio, usually 1:3, shot up to 1:1 – resulting in male dominance fights and deaths. The gaur population also doubled in recent years, with risk of overgrazing . Poaching was a major issue in the park in the 1970s and 1980s, but now Gorumara is one of the parks least threatened by poaching, with well-equipped rangers and with villagers benefiting from park visitors. However, grazing from fringe villages, and man-made brush fires are major issues at

4662-400: The power and wisdom of almighty God as the elephant." Elephants are believed to be on par with chimpanzees with regard to their cooperative skills. Elephants are thought to be highly altruistic animals that even aid other species, including humans, in distress. In India, an elephant was helping locals lift logs by following a truck and placing the logs in pre-dug holes upon instruction from

4736-405: The processing of certain types of memory , especially spatial. This is thought to be possibly why elephants suffer from psychological flashbacks and the equivalent of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The encephalization quotient (EQ) (the size of the brain relative to body size) of elephants ranges from 1.13 to 2.36. The average EQ is 2.14 for Asian elephants, and 1.67 for African, with

4810-561: The role of dopaminergic synapses in memory consolidation , learning, and behavior at Columbia University . According to neurobiologist Aniruddh Patel, the orchestra's star drummer named Pratidah, exhibits musicality, stating: "Either when drumming alone or with the orchestra, Pratidah was remarkably steady". He also noted that she developed a swing-type rhythm pattern when playing with other elephants. Elephants are able to spend substantial time working on problems. They are able to change their behavior radically to face new challenges,

4884-439: The rope with either mouth or foot, the elephants disengaged the sugarcane from the rope while still using mouth or forefoot as an anchor, and then consumed the sugarcane. All elephants seemed to be flexible about the use of anchor, interchangeably using mouth, foreleg, or both. Elephants have joined a small group of animals, including great apes , bottlenose dolphins and Eurasian magpies , that exhibit self-awareness . The study

4958-490: The same functional areas, there are certain unique structural differences. The intelligence of elephants are described to be on par with cetaceans , and various primates . Due to its higher cognitive intelligence and presence of family ties, researchers and wildlife experts argue that it is morally wrong for humans to kill them. Aristotle described the elephant as "the animal that surpasses all others in wit and mind ." The elephant (both Asian and African ) has

5032-443: The time of the collision, which was double that of the maximum specified by relevant guidelines, has been noted as one possible contributing factor. Minister of State for Railways Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury stated that the accident "happened outside the area which has been earmarked as elephant corridor" and that it "is the responsibility of the state government to protect the wildlife [because] railway officials cannot". In August 2023

5106-435: The word paint , she became very excitable. The colors she favored were green, yellow, blue and red. Once, a fire truck came and parked outside her enclosure where a man had just had a heart attack. The lights on the truck were flashing red, white and yellow. When Ruby painted later on in the day, she chose those colors. She also showed a preference for colors that the keepers wore. Harry Peachey, an elephant trainer, developed

5180-546: Was conducted with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) using elephants at the Bronx Zoo in New York. Although many animals respond to a mirror, very few show any evidence that they recognize it is in fact themselves in the mirror reflection . The Asian elephants in the study also displayed this type of behavior when standing in front of a 2.5-by-2.5-metre (8.2 ft × 8.2 ft) mirror – they inspected

5254-512: Was declared as the best among the protected areas in India by the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the year 2009. As of March 2021 , the park is open for the tourists after staying closed for months due to the COVID-19 pandemic . Having been a reserve forest since 1895, Gorumara was declared as a Wildlife Sanctuary in 1949, on account of its breeding population of Indian rhinoceros . It

5328-454: Was difficult for them (such as having to walk backwards to avoid a person). Joyce Poole documented an encounter told to her by Colin Francombe on Kuki Gallman's Laikipia Ranch. A ranch herder was walking alongside camels when he came across a family of elephants. The matriarch charged at him and knocked him over with her trunk, breaking one of his legs. In the evening, when he did not return,

5402-575: Was granted official status as an Indian National Park on 31 January 1992. Originally the park was as small as 7 km . Since then Gorumara has grown by incorporating neighbouring lands to about 80 km . The park is located in the Malbazar subdivision of Jalpaiguri district , in the state of West Bengal in India. Gorumara is located in the Eastern Himalayas ' submontane Terai belt. This region has rolling forests and riverine grasslands, and

5476-531: Was noted by ancient Romans and Asian elephant handlers ( mahouts ) that elephants can distinguish melodies. Performing circus elephants commonly follow musical cues, and Adam Forepaugh and Barnum & Bailey circuses even featured "elephant bands". German evolutionary biologist Bernhard Rensch studied an elephant's ability to distinguish music, and in 1957 published the results in Scientific American . Rensch's test elephant could distinguish 12 tones in

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