Baby Elephants Thrive When Grandma Helps Out

Elephant calves have better chances of survival when their grandmothers help out, an Asian elephant study has revealed.

AsianScientist (Jun. 15, 2016) – Grandmothers often provide vital childcare in human communities across the world. In traditional societies, such help even increases grandchildren’s survival prospects and leads to shorter birth intervals for the daughters.

In a new study published in Scientific Reports, a research group from the University of Turku in Finland has now discovered that a similar phenomenon exists among elephants in Myanmar.

Elephants have a lifespan of up to 80 years and naturally live in highly social family groups, containing many generations of females and their calves.

The research group studied the records maintained for a century on Asian elephants used for timber extraction. According to Dr. Mirkka Lahdenperä, the lead author of the study, calves of young elephant mothers under 20 years of age had eight times lower mortality risk if the grandmother resided in the same location compared to calves whose grandmother was not present.

Resident grandmothers also decreased their daughters’ inter-birth intervals by one year, so that altogether, more grandcalves were born when the grandmothers were part of the family. The more calves the grandmother had reared herself before the grandcalf was born, the better survival chances her grandcalf had.

“Our results showing the essential role of the elephant grandmothers are significant for the conservation of this endangered species. In zoos, the typical multi-generational groups are rare and animals are often moved between zoos,” Lahdenperä explained.

Calf mortality is very high in zoos, as up to 50 percent of the calves die during their first years. In addition, problems with reproduction are common.

The results also highlight the need to prevent poaching, especially when it targets old, large females. Their presence is crucial for the younger generation and removal of these key individuals might have severe outcomes for this endangered species.


The article can be found at: Lahdenperä et al. (2016) Nearby Grandmother Enhances Calf Survival and Reproduction in Asian Elephants.

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Source: Academy of Finland; Photo: Pexels.
Disclaimer: This article does not necessarily reflect the views of AsianScientist or its staff.

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