They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, this week I happened to see a very sad photo of an elephant with tears running down its face and who most likely could have been grieving the loss of a loved one. For most of us who are aware of the social structure of elephants, we can understand the pain in this animal's eyes. A book was published in 1996 on this topic by a man named Jeffrey Masson called 'When Elephants Weep'. Even though he did not dwell on elephants but the entire animal kingdom, he opened up debate on the emotional lives of animals and changed the way we looked at animals. The social life of elephants has been a subject for years and years with most researchers being fascinated by what they found out. As i pointed out in my earlier posts, elephants live in very close social networks and rely on one another. They practically survive on the bonds they share with one another. And just as every family has a head, the head of a herd of elephants is the matriarch. She is usually the largest and oldest female in the herd and whom all the other elephants look up to. She determines where they eat, when they move and even looks after their safety and health. Now, imagine if the matriarch is taken away from them and lets say, killed by poachers, wouldn't this affect them? Let's for a moment think of it this way...the loss of a father or mother in the home is usually felt far worse more than any other member of the family. Am I right? Well, i could argue many reasons why but one reason stands, the family feels as if its lost direction.
This same feeling is felt when the elephants' circumstances changes in their once docile environment. They feel lost and surely without a sense of direction, their chances of survival lessen. Well, sure they could join other groups or make one of their own but its never really the same. More so, elephants herds are usually made up of mostly females as the males leave the herd in their teens. These female therefore have to look out for one another and help each other look after their young ones. Just this week, we celebrated International Women's Day with many women celebrating one another and recognising those women who have triumphed in a male-dominated world. Well, if we could have an 'International Day for Female Animals', the matriarchs would definitely be among the most celebrated. Can i hear an Amen ladies! :)
Poaching of elephants as you may be aware is usually targeted on the big adults because of their big tusks and sadly, the matriarch most times falls victim. This causes disarray within the family making them anxious and violent. As humans continue to encroach on their habitats, elephants are becoming increasingly violent and will do away with anything that comes in the way of their survival. This goes against their nature as they are known to be very friendly, playful and sociable animals. With these threats they face, elephants are slowly being forced to change according to their circumstances. Understanding that as humans we're responsible for the change in their social structure is important to enable us to start thinking of ways we can change this trend before its too late. 
There's a lot of literature on the social behavior of elephants that would burn your ears out just listening to it. Nevertheless, with many research studies being done on these social structures, maybe we can find a way of interacting with these animals in a way that is not harmful to them. Till then, we should take the time to learn more about these animals. Who knows, they may teach us a thing or two on proper interactions, don't you think? ;)
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