News Reading Practice #66
(100 Day Challenge)
ELEPHANTS TAKE DEAD CALVES TO BE BURIED IN UNTRODDEN PATHS: STUDY
Rahul Karmakar
GUWAHATI
Elephants in the eastern Himalayan floodplains bury their calves in a 'legs upright' position, a new study has found. Through long-term
observation, the researchers also found that elephant herds tend to avoid the paths where the carcasses were buried and take parallel routes.
"We aimed to understand the peri-mortem strategy and post-mortem behaviour of the Asian elephants. The major findings
reflect that the carcasses were carried by trunks and
legs for a distance before being buried in a 'legs upright' position,"
researchers said in the study published in the latest issue of the Journal of Threatened
Taxa.
Rampant
environmental changes and forest
destruction push Asian
elephants (Elephas maximus) and their African counterparts (Loxodonta africana) to explore human spaces to fulfil
their dietary and ecological requirements, leading to 'novel' elephant behaviours in
shared spaces.
While elephant calf burial is mentioned in African
literature, it has hardly been documented in the Asian context. Parveen Kaswan,
an Indian Forest Service officer posted in Alipurduar of West Bengal and
Akashdeep Roy of the Indian Institute of Science Education and Research in Pune
studied five such cases in the northern Bengal landscape.
The study area covered fragmented forests, tea estates, agricultural lands, and military establishments in
the vicinity of the
Gorumara Wildlife Division and Buxa Tiger Reserve. It explains the burial
strategy of elephants in the irrigation
drains of the tea
estates.
Marks on the bodies of the calves - the youngest weighing 160 kg was three or four months old while the
oldest was about 12 months and weighed 350 kg suggested the elephants dragged them from a distance to be buried at preferred
locations.
The locations were irrigation drains of the tea estates
where many elephants are born too, the study said. The "strange"
positioning of each carcass with the legs upright could be because one or more
members of a herd needed a better grip to hold and lay the calf delicately in
the trench.
"This strategic behaviour also reflects the care and affection of the herd member(s) towards the deceased. The behaviour suggests that in a situation of space crunch, the herd member(s) prioritise the head for the burial
before the feet," the study said.
Strong bond: Elephants taking the carcass of an elephant
calf for burial. SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
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CALF
(PLURAL - CALVES) - Young elephant (ആനയുà´Ÿേà´¯ും à´•à´¨്à´¨ുà´•ാà´²ിà´•à´³ുà´Ÿേà´¯ും
à´•ുà´Ÿ്à´Ÿി)
BURY
(NOUN - BURIAL) : Place in the ground after death (à´•ുà´´ിà´š്à´šുà´®ൂà´Ÿുà´•)
UNTRODDEN
PATHS: Not frequently traveled routes (സഞ്à´šà´°ിà´•്à´•ാà´¤്à´¤ വഴിà´•à´³്)
FLOODPLAINS:
Low-lying areas near rivers prone to flooding. (à´µെà´³്ളപ്à´ªൊà´•്à´•ം
ഉണ്à´Ÿാà´•ുà´¨്നസ്ഥലം)
UPRIGHT:
Vertical position (à´²ംബമാà´¯ി, à´¨േà´°േ à´®ുà´•à´³ിà´²േà´•്à´•്
à´¨ിà´²്à´•്à´•ുà´¨്à´¨)
OBSERVATION:
Act of watching and studying (à´¨ിà´°ീà´•്à´·à´£ം)
ELEPHANT
HERDS: Groups of elephants (ആനക്à´•ൂà´Ÿ്à´Ÿം)
TEND:
Have a tendency to (à´¤ുà´¨ിà´¯ുà´•, à´¶്à´°à´®ിà´•്à´•ുà´•)
CARCASS:
Body of dead animals (ജന്à´¤ുà´•്à´•à´³ുà´Ÿെ ശവം)
PARALLEL:
Alongside, in the same direction (സമാà´¨്തരമാà´¯ി)
PERI-MORTEM:
Around the time of death (മരണസമയത്à´¤് നടക്à´•ുà´¨്à´¨)
POST-MORTEM:
After death (മരണശേà´·à´®ുà´³്à´³, à´®ൃതശരീരപരിà´¶ോധന)
TRUNK:
Long, flexible nose of an elephant (à´¤ുà´®്à´ªിà´•്à´•ൈ)
RAMPANT:
Widespread and uncontrolled (à´µ്à´¯ാപകമാà´¯)
FOREST
DESTRUCTION: Damage to forest (വനനശീà´•à´°à´£ം)
COUNTERPARTS:
Equivalent or similar things (à´’à´°േà´ªോà´²െà´¯ുà´³്à´³, à´ª്à´°à´¤ിà´°ൂà´ªം)
DIETARY:
Related to food intake (à´à´•്ഷണക്à´°à´®ം)
ECOLOGICAL:
Related to the environment and ecosystems (à´ªാà´°ിà´¸്à´¥ിà´¤ിà´•à´®ാà´¯)
LANDSCAPE:
Area of land and its features (à´ൂà´¦ൃà´¶്à´¯ം)
FRAGMENTED
FORESTS: Broken-up forest area (à´¶ിà´¥ിലമാà´¯ വനങ്ങള്)
MILITARY
ESTABLISHMENTS: Bases or facilities for military use (à´¸ൈà´¨ിà´•
à´¸്à´¥ാപനങ്ങള്)
IN
THE VICINITY OF: Nearby area (à´† പരിസരത്à´¤്)
IRRIGATION
DRAIN: Channel for water drainage from fields (ജലസേചനത്à´¤ിà´¨ുà´³്à´³
à´šാà´²്)
WEIGHED:
Had a specific weight (à´¤ൂà´•്à´•à´®ുà´³്à´³)
DRAG:
Pull along the ground (വലിà´š്à´šിà´´à´•്à´•ുà´•)
STRATEGIC
BEHAVIOUR: Planned actions (തന്à´¤്രപരമാà´¯ à´ªെà´°ുà´®ാà´±്à´±ം)
AFFECTION:
Feelings of care and fondness (à´µാà´¤്സല്à´¯ം)
DECEASED:
DEAD (മരിà´š്à´š)
SPACE
CRUNCH: Limited available space (à´¸്ഥലപരിമതി)
PRIORITIZE:
Give greater importance to (à´®ുà´¨്ഗണന നല്à´•ുà´•)
BURIAL:
Act of placing a dead body in the ground (à´•ുà´´ിà´š്à´šുà´®ൂà´Ÿà´²്, ശവസംà´¸്à´•ാà´°ം)
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