The elephant is the largest land mammal on the planet. And this animal grows to old age. The life span of an elephant is approaching a century-old milestone.
Natural conditions
Cubs of these giants are often at risk of being eaten by predators. Elephants who survived the childhood period have no natural enemies, with the exception of humans. If an animal can survive several long droughts throughout its life and find six hundred kilograms of greenery and two hundred liters of water, if it does not become prey for poachers, then the average life span of an elephant will be about seventy years.
Features of large animals
They are picky in food. But the life span of an elephant depends on the condition of the teeth - after their abrasion, the animal dies from exhaustion. The root crops change six times, the last forty years. After that, they gradually collapse and by the age of 50 animals are not able to chew food.
The weight of an adult giant reaches 3-4 tons. The elephant has a baby of 22 months. A newborn “baby” weighs almost 90 kg. For three years he eats mother’s milk, so for 36 months this couple is inseparable.
Elephants are smart, kind, calm, but they are also bad, evil, aggressive. By the way, if the animal is attached to one person, then all his life will be obeyed only by him.
Giants in captivity
The life expectancy of an elephant in a zoo is significantly lower. Only a few cases are known when animals died at 80, and then in Thailand. But no matter what the right feeding and proper care, elephants are social animals, they need their own kind.
In the natural environment, they live in groups - families. From birth to the age of fifteen, the male is next to his mother. The female remains with female relatives to death. Daily exercise reaches tens of kilometers. In zoos, the conditions are completely different. It does not satisfy the physical, social and psychological needs as it is possible in the wild. For normal elephants, zoos lack territories. In addition, they are often separated, given for breeding in other zoos. Therefore, giants in captivity are ill, and the life span of an elephant is only 18–20 years.
Why is the zoo bad
As a result of research and observation of five thousand animals, the following conclusions were drawn:
- Elephants often get sick. Inappropriate conditions lead to arthritis and other limb diseases. Indeed, in nature, they travel up to 50 km daily, moving for 18 hours. Animals take mud baths, sprinkle themselves with dust, dig. Even in the best zoo, the elephant's life span is short. It is constantly on a solid surface, stands for a long time, often in its own waste. Therefore, infections penetrate the legs of animals, which leads to disease.
- The nature of giants in captivity becomes hysterical. This is manifested in nodding and constant shaking of the head. The constant use of force and coercion, keeping on a chain does not extend the lifespan of elephants.
- Animals live in inappropriate climatic conditions. In winter they live in cramped cages. Antidepressants are added to their food so that the animals seem happy.
- Mortality of cubs is much higher than in nature.
- Zoos reduce the elephant population by selecting them from wild families.
The life of giants in national parks
Here the longest life span of an elephant is observed. They live almost in the wild, but are under the supervision and protection of the state. They are not afraid of poachers and hunters. The animals are periodically examined and in case of any illness or injury provide medical care. If it is noticed that the elephant cannot feed itself or the elephant calf was left without a mother, they will be placed in the nursery. There, an adult giant will be looked after to death, and a small one will be released into the park when he grows up.
Giants in Thailand
In this country, for many centuries, elephants have enjoyed love, respect and reverence among residents. In the monasteries are their bronze sculptures and figurines. The local population is confident that the figures of animals are made from real prototypes that served in ancient times at the Siamese court. They carried out certain work of carrying heavy loads for the construction of fortresses and city fortifications. Ferocious fighting elephants during the war were able to turn the enemy troops.
With their help, the rulers of Southeast Asia, the famous elephant duels, clarified the relationship. Albino animals have always been considered a symbol of victory and good luck in Thailand. Since there are very few of them in nature, possession of a white elephant became a cherished goal for monarchs. The states that own such animals were considered very powerful. Because of them, even wars broke out.
Today, poachers have reduced the number of elephants in Thailand from 20,000 (1976) to 5,000. Massive deforestation also affected the number of animals.
If you think about it, it’s not so important how many years the elephant lives. The main thing is that it exists freely and without threat to health.
Fine mental organization of elephants
With all the strictest prohibitions on hunting and export of ivory, the number of these giants is steadily declining. The reason lies in the impossibility of breeding elephants in the wild. They do not withstand modern living conditions. Animals "understand" that offspring cannot survive in conditions of bad air and deforestation of the jungle.
In northern Thailand, there are special nurseries for breeding and keeping elephants. They get food here in the form of bananas and bamboo from tourists for whom they perform breathtaking stunts. Elephants begin to teach them almost from birth. Under natural conditions, elephants would have taught them completely different tricks - how to get food with a trunk, how to sprinkle oneself with dust and water it.
Good giants are very emotional and faithful animals. They can be sad and cry, but they can also laugh. They have a great memory. Elephants bury their relatives - they fill their bodies with earth, cover them with branches. They also bury those who were killed while protecting the cubs. Independent males that have left the herd will help, if necessary, the former relatives, always give a trunk.
Elephants, with their impressive external data, remain creatures with a fine mental organization. These quivering giants need to be protected by the whole world.