Play in Elephants: Wellbeing, Welfare or Distraction?

Area of Science:

• Ethology
• Animal Behavior
• Welfare Science

Background:

• Play behavior in young animals is a potential welfare indicator.
• Play is associated with long-term survival in wild populations.
• Understanding play in elephants (Loxodonta africana and Elephas maximus) informs welfare assessments.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate elephant calf play behavior in both wild and captive settings.
• To categorize play into social and non-social types.
• To explore the relationship between play, energetics, and environmental factors.

Main Methods:

• Categorized play into four types: gentle social, escalated-contact social, lone-locomotor, and exploratory-object.
• Observed wild Asian (N=101) and African (N=130) elephant calves, and captive Asian (N=8) and African (N=7) calves (birth to 5 years).
• Assessed calf energetics by measuring time spent suckling, resting, moving, and independently feeding.

Main Results:

• Social play was the most frequent type (3-9% of active time), followed by non-social play (1-11%).
• Captive Asian calves (1-6 months) exhibited the most play; wild African calves showed the least, despite greater social opportunities.
• Play time was negatively associated with independent feeding time, suggesting energy acquisition constrains play, but unrelated to suckling or maternal lactation.

Conclusions:

• Play behavior in elephant calves is influenced by energetic constraints, particularly independent feeding.
• While absence of play can indicate poor welfare, play itself is a stimulating activity for captive elephants.
• Findings highlight the importance of considering energetic factors and environmental context when assessing elephant calf play and welfare.