Bornean Elephants May Be From Java

A new paper supports the theory that the pygmy elephants found on Borneo originated in Java, and were introduced by an early sultan. (News source.)

Elephant Missing

Raja Gaj, the world's largest Asian elephant, has been missing in Nepal's Royal Bardia National Park for a year. There are concerns poachers may have killed him. (News source.)

Electrocuted

Six Asian elephants (in a herd of 40) got drunk on rice wine fermenting in a farmers' hut, went berserk, and uprooted utility poles, electrocuting themselves. (News source.)

Five Asiatic lions in western India were killed by electric fences surrounding crops near a wildlife sanctuary. (News source.)

Speak to the Toes

Stanford University researchers have discovered that elephants receive ground signals (low-frequency vocalizations) through their toes. From the news:

"In close quarters, those floppy ears work just fine. To reach elephants miles away, the low-frequency vibrations channel through soil, and clay represents the more reliable long-distance service.
"The 'listening' elephant catches the vibrations with its toes, behind which lie pads of acoustically sensitive fat. Similar tissue is in the heels of the elephant's feet and in its trunk, which augment the toe sensors. The vibrations speed along bones to the elephant's middle ear. They are processed in the auditory cortex area of the brain, just like regular sound."