Elephant digging in the same spot every day
One morning at Silver Springs Elephant Sanctuary outside Ocala, Florida, headkeeper Tom Bradley, 55, saw something strange on his surveillance monitor. Nala, a 25-year-old African elephant, was digging in the ground in the northeast corner of the holding area. He was digging in the same spot over and over again, his front paws stamping vigorously, scraping the ground with his ivory. Unusual,” Tom thought. But the behavior continued the next day and the day after that.
Unstoppable action
A week has passed. Nala went to the same spot at the same time every day and continued digging for a couple of hours. The other elephants at the sanctuary watched from afar. The sanctuary director, Dr. Rachel Kim, 42, reviewed the footage with Tom. Why is Nala so obsessed with this place? I don’t know what this behavior means,” Rachel said.
Staff Confusion
Two weeks passed and the action did not stop. Nala’s digging area was about 3 meters in diameter and reached a depth of 30 cm. When staff tried to direct her to another area, Nala quietly resisted and eventually returned to her original location. Rachel called a staff meeting. We can’t deal with this behavior unless we know what caused it. Is Nala trying to tell us something?”
Establishment of Sanctuary
Silver Springs Elephant Sanctuary was founded 12 years ago. Rachel had been conducting conservation research on elephants in Africa and decided to create a facility that would accept elephants that had been placed in inappropriate conditions in zoos in the United States. She decided that Florida’s warm climate and large acreage would provide a suitable environment for the elephants.
History of Narra
Nala came to the Sanctuary eight years ago. She was an African elephant that had been kept alone for nearly 20 years at a zoo in New York State. She became ill from the stress of being kept alone and the zoo decided to give her away. When Nala first arrived in Florida, she was bewildered by the large space and would not move, huddled in a corner. Rachel stayed by Nala’s side and talked to her every day.
Meet Maya
Two months after Nala arrived at the sanctuary, another elephant arrived from an animal sanctuary in Tanzania. This was Maya, then 17 years old. Maya was a 17-year-old elephant who had been separated from her herd and was working alone when she was rescued. On the day Nala and Maya first met, they spent a long time sniffing each other. For elephants, nose-to-nose is like a human hug,” Rachel said. How did the two elephants come to know each other so quickly?
The bond between the two horses
Maya and Nala soon became inseparable. Every day they bathed together, ate grass together, and slept side by side in the shade of a tree. Maya was smaller and younger than Nala, but she always took the lead. Nala often walked with Maya. Rachel wrote in her observation journal, “We are not dependent on each other, but supportive of each other.
Death of Maya
Two years ago in the fall, Maya suddenly lost her appetite and collapsed three days later. Emergency tests revealed liver problems, but she died while awaiting recovery at the age of 23. Nala did not move from the spot where she lay beside Maya’s body for three days. She did not eat when the staff brought her food. Elephants are known to mourn their deceased companions, but how long will Nala’s grief last?
Nala’s mourning act
After Maya passed away, Nala had no appetite and hardly moved for about a week. Eventually, she gradually returned to her normal routine, but she was talking (purring) less than before and was alone more often. The staff kept a daily log of Nala’s condition and monitored her recovery, and after a month, her appetite returned and she began interacting with other elephants. Rachel was relieved that “Nala was back on her feet.
As the days go by
Two years had passed since Maya’s death. Nala had returned to a stable routine. But this time, this digging behavior started. Why did this behavior appear now, after two years had passed? The season was autumn, the same time Maya died. Do elephants have an annual reaction? Do they experience a return of grief from year to year, as humans do?” Rachel wrote in her journal.
I’ll call Dr. Reed.
Rachel contacted Dr. James Reed, an animal behaviorist at the University of Florida. Dr. Reed was a researcher specializing in the mourning behavior of African elephants. He said, “Abnormal behavior in elephants always tells us something. Please send me the video,” he said. Dr. Reed received the video and wrote back. ‘It is possible that this is not a simple mourning behavior. Why this particular location, is there a key there?”
Researcher’s View
A week later, Dr. Reed visited the sanctuary. He observed Nala for two days and recorded her behavioral patterns. Digging itself has been documented as a form of mourning behavior,” Dr. Reed said. But when a species repeats a behavior so intensively in one place, there is often some special significance to that place,” Dr. Reed said. Why does Nala keep choosing this one spot? Is there something special about this point?”
Attachment to a specific place
Dr. Reed recorded the exact coordinates of where Nala was digging and put them into a map of the entire sanctuary. It was in the northeast corner, an open area with few trees. There must be some reason why they chose this location,” Dr. Reed said. Rachel brought a record of Maya’s activities two years ago. We opened up the observation logbooks from when Maya was alive and began to search for records of the area in question.
Check out Maya’s records.
Going back through the observation logbooks, we found some interesting entries in the records from the period of Maya’s life. There was a recurring note that “Maya would spend a lot of time in a particular area in the northeast area every day around 2 to 4 pm.” The staff interpreted this at the time to mean that she liked the sunlight. But isn’t the place where Nala is digging now the same place where Maya spent most of her time each day?
Analysis of camera images
Dr. Reed reviewed historical camera footage from the sanctuary, going back three years, and found that Maya would always stop at the same spot in the northeast corner in the afternoon and spend a long time there. Other elephants would often stay away from the spot, as if it were reserved for Maya. Maya was drawn to this place. Why?” said Dr. Reed.
Maya’s favorite place.
Dr. Reed explained, “Elephants have very acute senses in the soles of their feet and can detect low-frequency vibrations and temperature changes through the ground.” He went on, “Maybe Maya was sensing something in the ground that kept her coming to this spot every day.” Rachel tilted her head. I knew there were hot spring areas in Florida, but what could be on the grounds of this sanctuary?
Request for Subsurface Investigation
Rachel contacted the geology team at the University of Florida and requested a subsurface survey of the northeast area. The following week, geologist Dr. Michael Stark and his team arrived. After a day of research, Stark opened up a map and said, “We have the results. After a day of research, Stark unfolded the map and said, “I’ve got some results. I see some interesting things.
Geothermal Survey Findings
Data presented by Stark showed an anomalous heat source located six to eight meters underground. ‘It’s a small-scale hot spring zone. The Florida peninsula is covered with underground limestone formations, and hot water can flow through the gaps between the limestone layers. The explanation was that “this location has a hot water flow close to the surface of the earth. Does this mean that there is a hot spring directly below where Nala is digging?
Existence of hot springs
Dr. Reed could not hide his excitement. ‘This is it,’ he said. Maya could sense the heat of this warm water with the soles of her feet. Perhaps the reason she came to this place every day was to feel the warmth from the ground. She said, “Elephants like warm places, especially in the fall and winter when the temperature drops. Rachel gazed at the spot for a long time. The reason why Maya had spent every day in this place two years ago was finally unraveling.
What Maya was feeling
It is possible that Nala feels the same way. This place where Maya was every day is remembered by Nala as Maya’s ‘place’ as well. And Nala herself may be digging here for Maya, feeling that warmth in the soles of her feet,” said Dr. Reed. This behavior is simultaneously mournful and instinctive. Is Nala thinking about Maya and still searching for what Maya felt?
Quercus Perception
Dr. Reed said. ‘Elephants remember for years where their elephant friends died. Nala remembers this place, which Maya loved, every day. And Nala herself feels the warmth of this point under her feet. Mourning and instinct intersect in the exact same place. I have never recorded such an example,” she said. Rachel felt tears silently welling up in her eyes. Nala had been here for two years.
Instinct and Mourning
Dr. Reed suggested, “Can’t we give this place some form of what Nala is feeling?” If we could draw warm water to the surface, we could create a heated pool for the elephants. Then Nala would be able to experience the warmth that Maya felt without having to dig. However, such a construction would be a major project for the sanctuary. Would it really be feasible?
Excavation Decision
Rachel went over this with the Board of Directors. The cost of the construction was out of our budget, but one of the board members said, “If it’s needed for Nala, let’s reach out to our supporters.” We launched a crowdfunding campaign, and within two weeks we had raised our goal from elephant lovers. The message “Make the place where Maya used to be a heated pool for Nala” spread across the United States. Construction began.
Construction of heated swimming pool
Excavation work took three weeks. The pool was completed with a circulation system using hot water from the basement, which is kept at 32-35 degrees Celsius at all times. During the construction, Nala watched the construction every day through the fence. It was as if she understood what was being built. When the day of completion approached, Nala stopped in front of the fence near the pool and did not move. Had Nala already sensed this?
Morning of Completion
On a November morning after construction was completed, the entire staff gathered. Rachel and Tom opened the door to the enclosure where Nala was, and she slowly made her way to the pool. As soon as she stepped in, Nala let out a long, low squeal. Rachel had never heard that cry before. Tom whispered, “What kind of noise is that, doctor? Dr. Reed said quietly, “It’s a sound of relief. It’s a sound of relief,” Dr. Reed said quietly.
Nala’s response
Nala did not move for an hour in the pool. She was half submerged in the warm water and squinting. All the staff were holding back tears. That night, Nala did not head to the dig site for the first time. The next morning, and the day after that, no action appeared to dig in the northeast corner. Had Nala been seeking this warmth all along? Or was she finally able to touch here what Maya had been feeling?
Changed Behavior
Three weeks have passed. Nala spent more time in the pool each day. Especially on cool fall afternoons, she was always in the pool relaxing. Her behavior has completely changed,” Tom said. The other elephants were now approaching the pool with trepidation, and when one of them tried it out, it seemed to feel good and wouldn’t come out. The pool then became a place for elephants from all over the sanctuary to use.
Sanctuary’s new location
The heated pool became a special place for the elephants at the sanctuary. On cold days, there was always someone in there. Rachel noted in her new observation journal. ‘It wasn’t just the sunshine that Maya had chosen this spot. She sensed the heat of the hot spring zone and knew the perfect spot. Nala kept that memory alive and continued to pass it on by continuing to dig. Now the place belonged to all of us”.
Significance of the Study
Dr. Reed summarized this case study in a paper. It was titled “Combined Manifestations of Mourning Behavior and Geothermal Heat Sensing in Elephants.” It was the first example of two things being recorded simultaneously: an elephant’s ability to remember the “location” of a deceased mate, and its ability to sense subterranean heat with its foot senses. How much will this discovery change our understanding of elephants’ cognitive abilities and emotions?
What the Maya left behind
The following fall, Nala stayed at the pool. It has been three years since Maya passed away. Nala no longer digs in the northeast corner. But every day when she gets in the pool, she passes by that spot. One day Rachel noticed that Nala stopped briefly before entering the pool and looked in the direction of the northeast corner. Seconds later, Nala quietly entered the pool. Perhaps the warm water was not the only thing Maya left behind. The memory of the place she loved will not disappear as long as life lasts. *This story is a work of fiction. All characters and events are fictitious and have no relation to real people or events. The photographs are for illustrative purposes only.
