A Baby Elephant “Marks Its Territory” in Front of a Group of Tourists

Elephants are incredibly intelligent and social animals with several sophisticated methods of communication. They use all their senses — hearing, sight, touch, and smell — to interact within their own herds, with other elephant groups, and even with other species, including humans. Understanding these elephant cues is crucial for preventing dangerous encounters and keeping both elephants and humans safe. In this YouTube video, a young elephant “marks his territory” by urinating and defecating in front of a group of tourists. While this may be entertaining to watch, it also brings up important questions: What was the elephant trying to communicate with his behavior, and was this situation safe for the elephant and the onlooking tourists?

Understanding Elephant Behavior

Elephants express a wide range of emotions through their body language. For example, an anxious elephant often holds its tail stiffly out to one side, while a calm and relaxed elephant will typically sweep its tail from side to side, swatting away flies.

An elephant’s eyes also reveal a lot about its emotional state. When an elephant’s eyes widen, it often signals fear, stress, or excitement. In contrast, a relaxed elephant usually has its eyes half-closed.

Additionally, it’s important to pay attention to an elephant’s ears. While they might flap their ears to cool down, elephants also hold their ears out wide like sails when feeling threatened or challenging something. This makes them appear larger and more formidable. They may also shake their head up and down, causing their large ears to slap and clack against their body. This not only makes them look bigger, but it also produces intimidating sounds.

Deciphering Elephant Vocalizations

In addition to body language, elephants rely on a rich vocabulary of vocalizations, many of which occur at frequencies beyond human hearing. Elephants are remarkably sensitive and can detect sounds and even vibrations through their feet from miles away. Their vocal repertoire is quite impressive, encompassing everything from growls, trumpets, and rumbles to roars, squeaks, snorts, cries, barks, and even lip buzzing.

Rumbles, for example, are low-frequency sounds that elephants use to express joy or satisfaction, to soothe or calm another elephant, to greet herd members, and occasionally for intimidation. Because of their low frequency, rumbles can travel surprisingly far, helping elephants stay connected and gauge distances when separated.

“Mock” Charges vs. Real Threats

Sometimes, an elephant will perform a “mock charge” — a display designed to intimidate or scare away a perceived threat without actually making physical contact. The simplest rule of thumb is to always keep your distance from any elephant that appears agitated or looks like it might charge. However, there are distinct differences between a mock charge and a genuine one.

During a mock charge, an elephant typically holds its head high, spreads its ears wide, and flaps them while trumpeting and kicking up dust. The elephant may charge directly at a perceived enemy, but it will stop at the last second and avoid actual contact. A mock charge is meant to intimidate and scare rather than inflict damage.

In contrast, an elephant preparing for a real charge will usually hold its head low and pin its ears back against its head. This is because during a real charge, the goal isn’t to look larger or intimidate, but to make contact and inflict damage. The elephant will also tuck its trunk in, charging without hesitation and often without any vocalizations.

The Power of Scent

Elephants are not known to be territorial or “mark their territory” as some other animals do. However, scent plays an important role in how they communicate, and they may urinate or defecate to convey specific information. Elephants have around 2,000 genes dedicated to scent detection. To put that into perspective, dogs have about 800, and humans only have around 400.

Elephants are constantly smelling everything in their environment. In fact, tour guides often caution tourists not to urinate near elephants because the animals will likely approach to investigate the scent!

So, what was the young elephant in the YouTube video trying to convey by urinating in front of a group of tourists? Given his size and tusk development, he appears to be a young elephant, likely around five to six years old. Research suggests that elephants may urinate and defecate to share scent-based information, whether they are greeting other elephants, feeling excited, or experiencing fear or stress. In this case, the baby elephant was likely angry, stressed, or scared, as he quickly ran to the safety of his mother afterward.

The Impacts of Tourism on Elephant Temperament

Ecotourism can offer a fantastic opportunity to boost local economies and learn about wildlife. However, how these tours are conducted is crucial for the safety of both tourists and the animals they observe.

Unfortunately, ecotourism has become a major concern for wildlife, especially for elephants. When tourists are present, elephants often show more signs of fear, stress, and aggression. They also tend to spend less time eating compared to when they are undisturbed. These behavioral changes are influenced by factors such as the time of day, the proximity and number of tourists, vehicle noise, and tourist behavior. The mere presence of tourists, even just to take pictures, can cause the elephants to become stressed and relocate. Larger or more intrusive tourist groups, in particular, increase the likelihood of elephants acting aggressively, both toward humans and members of their own herd.

This is especially problematic for female elephants and their calves, as highlighted in the YouTube video. Getting too close to mothers and calves, coming between them, or blocking their escape routes can cause elephants to panic. This not only negatively impacts the elephants’ health, but it can also lead to charges or other aggressive behavior.

Recent studies have shown a direct correlation between high numbers of tourists and increased stress hormones (fGCM) in elephants, with some cases showing a 112% increase compared to months with fewer tourists.

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