Elephants fighting in a zoo can be a dangerous and frightening event. The consequences can be serious for both the elephants and the people around them.
For those living in cities, a zoo is not just a weekend entertainment spot, but also a place for children to observe and explore wildlife. Many people choose to visit the zoo on weekends. In China, the Shanghai Wild Animal Park is considered a vibrant place that attracts many tourists every weekend.
Although the animals in the zoo are not entirely wild, fights still happen frequently. Recently, a brawl between animals occurred at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park, leaving many visitors exclaiming that it was the first time they had seen anything like it in their lives!
Elephants fighting in the park.
Multiple Elephants Fight in Groups, One Male Elephant is Knocked Down
Previously, when visiting the Shanghai Wild Animal Park, most of the animals appeared very gentle and comfortable for people to observe, while the monkeys showed more active behavior, making most animal fights occur among them. However, the recent sight of elephants fighting in groups at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park was unprecedented.
In fact, after some time being kept there, the elephants had some minor disputes. Initially, visitors thought it was a small skirmish and found it amusing, but as the situation escalated, everyone realized something was wrong.
The conflict between the elephants escalated and eventually turned into a battle. According to descriptions from onlookers, the elephants collided and shoved each other, kicking up clouds of dust, occasionally making loud noises reminiscent of scenes from the movie “Jurassic Park.”
The battle between the elephants only ended when one male elephant was attacked by two others, pushed to the edge of the fence, and eventually collapsed. However, this resilient male elephant quickly stood up and fought back after being knocked down.
Elephants Prefer Living in Groups, and Members of the Group are Usually Friendly and Gentle with Each Other!
There are currently two genera of elephants, African elephants and Asian elephants, that exist on our planet. However, the more combative group belongs to the African elephants. They are the largest land mammals. When they reach adulthood, male elephants can stand over 3 meters tall and weigh between 2.7 to 6 tons.
African elephants prefer living in groups, often forming family units of twenty to thirty individuals. Occasionally, some males will live alone. The herd is usually led by an older female elephant, possessing extensive survival experience, capable of guiding the herd effectively in the wild.
Despite their massive size, elephants are generally very gentle animals towards their kind. Most members of the herd coexist harmoniously and peacefully.
Although adult elephants have no natural enemies and African elephants are also unbeatable on the savanna, they often compete gently with other animals and only become aggressive when provoked, angry, or frightened. When an African elephant is enraged, even a strong rhinoceros will be intimidated and run away.
Elephants only become aggressive when provoked, angry, or frightened.
Elephants Sometimes Compete for Territory
Although the members of an elephant herd are friendly with each other, nothing is absolute. For example, the group of African elephants at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park consists of individuals that are not yet mature. As they grow, the awareness of territory among male elephants gradually strengthens, and they will fight for survival resources.
This holds true in captivity as well as in the wild. Because elephants are so large, their fights appear very fierce.
Compared to the wild environment, elephant fights in zoos are not uncommon. This has happened more than once at the Shanghai Wild Animal Park. Additionally, in a national park in Kenya, five African elephants were observed using their tusks to push each other, as well as striking each other’s weak points with their trunks while launching attacks.
The reasons elephants frequently fight in groups at zoos are quite simple. Because in the wild, male elephants often live alone, and when they are housed in a space that is not large enough, it is inevitable that they will fight for territory.
Elephants are very affectionate animals, and they have high IQs. Studies have found that elephants exhibit strange behaviors when confronted with the remains of their kind.
In the wild, most animal species show little interest in the bones of their kind. When a member of an elephant herd dies, the others will continue to “move in silence.” Even when a mother elephant loses her calf, other members of the herd will replace the deceased mother and care for the calf.
