Elephant facts and statistics

12. Aside from hearing, elephants' ears are also important for regulating their body temperatures. Their large ears hold a number of large blood vessels, and their circulatory systems carry blood from their bodies out to their ears. Since their ears are thin and reach far out, the blood cools down. This cooler blood is then circulated back into the body, cooling the elephant down.

13. Elephants are very intelligent and empathetic animals. They have been known to show compassion, self-awareness, and grief, recognising and responding to other elephants' pain and sadness. For instance, when a member of a herd is injured, the rest of the herd will walk more slowly to make sure they can keep up. Elephants have also been observed lifting injured and sick individuals with their trunks and tusks and making distress calls. Often, when elephants are distressed, they flap their ears and emit low-frequency sounds. When they do so, another elephant may approach them and comfort them by stroking their trunk.

14. As the saying goes, an elephant never forgets. It is true that elephants have excellent memories. Researchers have observed many elephants returning back to their natural habitats years after being rescued from poachers. They also have a great recollection of other elephants' faces. Matriarch elephants have especially good memories, as they need to keep track of the social dynamics of their herds.

15. Elephants appear to have a way of mourning their dead. When encountering the remains of a deceased elephant, they stop and observe them silently, often smelling and touching the bones with their trunks. They sometimes bury deceased members of their herd in branches.

16. Elephants are scared of bees. Despite having thick skin and being much larger than these little insects, elephants are vulnerable in the softer areas of their eyes, mouths, and trunks. When they encounter bees, elephants flap their ears, stir up dust, and make a lot of noise. Swarms of bees can seriously hurt elephants, especially young calves-so they tend to stay far away from hives. IFAW is using this to our advantage, installing beehives around village perimeters to protect them from wandering elephants who may trample crops or come too close into contact with humans.

IFAW's Room to Roam initiative is an ambitious vision for elephant conservation in Africa, aiming to reconnect fragmented habitats and provide the space these magnificent animals need for finding food, water, mates, and other necessities. Backed by 20 years of science, fieldwork, and community engagement, Room to Roam will ensure the persistence of viable, stable elephant populations into the future.

At IFAW, we also support wildlife rangers and their welfare. These individuals are fighting for elephants on the front lines, protecting them from poachers who seek their tusks to supply the ivory trade. IFAW also combats poaching in other ways, such as through the Coalition to End Wildlife Trafficking Online.

In addition, we work with communities to prevent conflict between humans and elephants as these animals come into closer contact with local towns and villages. Because elephants are scared of bees, we installed beehives around the perimeter of one village in Malawi to keep wandering elephants away, which protects both the animals and the people.

Individual elephants matter for the survival of their species. This is why we're also supporters of sanctuaries and rescue centres, such as the Lusaka Elephant Nursery and Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery, which care for orphaned elephant calves who have lost or become separated from their families.

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