Editing Elephant (section)

==Human relations==
===Working animal===
{{further|Captive elephants}}
[[File:Elefant pune.jpg|thumb|Working elephant as transport]]
Elephants have been [[working animal]]s since at least the [[Indus Valley civilization]] over 4,000 years ago<ref>Sukumar, p. 57.</ref> and continue to be used in modern times. There were 13,000–16,500 working elephants employed in Asia in 2000. These animals are typically captured from the wild when they are 10–20 years old, the age range when they are both more trainable and can work for more years.<ref name=Shoshani149 /> They were [[Mela shikar|traditionally captured with traps and lassos]], but since 1950, [[sedative|tranquillisers]] have been used.<ref>Wylie, pp. 120–23.</ref> Individuals of the Asian species have often been trained as working animals. Asian elephants are used to carry and pull both objects and people in and out of areas as well as lead people in religious celebrations. They are valued over mechanised tools as they can perform the same tasks but in more difficult terrain, with strength, memory, and delicacy. Elephants can learn over 30 commands.<ref name="Shoshani149">McNeely, pp. 149–50.</ref> Musth bulls are difficult and dangerous to work with and so are chained up until their condition passes.<ref>Easa, p. 86.</ref>

In India, many working elephants are alleged to have been subject to abuse. They and other captive elephants are thus protected under [[The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act,1960|The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act of 1960]].<ref>{{cite web |author1=Bist, S. S. |author2=Cheeran, J. V. |author3=Choudhury, S. |author4=Barua, P. |author5=Misra, M. K. |title=The domesticated Asian elephant in India |publisher=Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific |access-date=25 December 2012 |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/ad031e/ad031e0g.htm |archive-date=1 June 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150601060613/http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/ad031e/ad031e0g.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> In both Myanmar and Thailand, [[deforestation]] and other economic factors have resulted in sizable populations of unemployed elephants resulting in health problems for the elephants themselves as well as economic and safety problems for the people amongst whom they live.<ref>{{cite news |author=Fuller, Thomas |title=Unemployed, Myanmar's Elephants Grow Antsy, and Heavier |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/world/asia/myanmar-logging-elephants-unemployment.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/world/asia/myanmar-logging-elephants-unemployment.html |archive-date=2022-01-01 |url-access=limited |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=30 January 2016 |access-date=31 January 2016 }}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/ad031e/ad031e0r.htm |title=The elephant situation in Thailand and a plea for co-operation |author=Lohanan, Roger  |date=February 2001 |access-date=31 January 2016 |publisher=[[FAO]] |archive-date=4 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404162525/http://www.fao.org/docrep/005/ad031e/ad031e0r.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

The practice of working elephants has also been attempted in Africa. The taming of African elephants in the [[Belgian Congo]] began by decree of [[Leopold II of Belgium]] during the 19th century and continues to the present with the [[Api Elephant Domestication Center|Api Elephant Domestication Centre]].<ref>Smith, pp. 152–54.</ref>

===Warfare===
<!-- Please do not add any more examples to this section. This subject already has its own article -->
{{Main|War elephant}}
{{See also|Execution by elephant}}
[[File:Schlacht bei Zama Gemälde H P Motte.jpg|thumb|[[Battle of Zama]] by [[Henri-Paul Motte]], 1890]]
Historically, elephants were considered formidable instruments of war. They were described in [[Sanskrit]] texts as far back as 1500 BC. From South Asia, the use of elephants in warfare spread west to Persia<ref name=Shoshani146 /> and east to Southeast Asia.<ref name=SEA /> The Persians used them during the [[Achaemenid Empire]] (between the 6th and 4th centuries BC)<ref name=Shoshani146 /> while Southeast Asian states first used war elephants possibly as early as the 5th century BC and continued to the 20th century.<ref name="SEA">{{cite book|author=Griffin, B.|year=2004|contribution=Elephants: From the Sacred to the Mundane|title=Southeast Asia: A Historical Encyclopedia, from Angkor Wat to East Timor|volume=1 |editor=Gin Ooi, K.|pages=487–489|publisher=Bloomsbury Academic |isbn=978-1-57607-770-2}}</ref> War elephants were also employed in the Mediterranean and North Africa throughout the [[classical antiquity|classical period]] since the reign of [[Ptolemy II Philadelphus|Ptolemy II]] in Egypt. The [[Carthage|Carthaginian]] general [[Hannibal]] famously took African elephants across the [[Alps]] during his war with the Romans and reached the [[Po Valley]] in 218 BC with all of them alive, but died of disease and combat a year later.<ref name="Shoshani146">Wylie (2000), pp. 146–48.</ref>

An elephant's head and sides were equipped with armour, the trunk may have had a sword tied to it and tusks were sometimes covered with sharpened iron or brass. Trained elephants would attack both humans and horses with their tusks. They might have grasped an enemy soldier with the trunk and tossed him to their [[mahout]], or pinned the soldier to the ground and speared him. Some shortcomings of war elephants included their great visibility, which made them easy to target, and limited maneuverability compared to horses. [[Alexander the Great]] achieved victory over armies with war elephants by having his soldiers injure the trunks and legs of the animals which caused them to panic and become uncontrollable.<ref name=Shoshani146 />

===Zoos and circuses===
{{further|Captive elephants}}
[[File:Flickr - …trialsanderrors - Terrific flights over ponderous elephants, poster for Forepaugh ^ Sells Brothers, ca. 1899.jpg|thumb|Circus poster, {{circa|1900}}]]
Elephants have traditionally been a major part of [[zoo]]s and [[circus]]es around the world. In circuses, they are trained to perform tricks. The most famous circus elephant was probably [[Jumbo]] (1861 – 15 September 1885), who was a major attraction in the [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus|Barnum & Bailey Circus]].<ref>Shoshani, pp. 168–69.</ref><ref name=Shoshani184/> These animals do not reproduce well in captivity due to the difficulty of handling musth bulls and limited understanding of female oestrous cycles. Asian elephants were always more common than their African counterparts in modern zoos and circuses. After CITES listed the Asian elephant under Appendix I in 1975, imports of the species almost stopped by the end of the 1980s. Subsequently, the US received many captive African elephants from Zimbabwe, which had an overabundance of the animals.<ref name=Shoshani184>Tuttle, pp. 184–88.</ref>

Keeping elephants in zoos has met with some controversy. Proponents of zoos argue that they allow easy access to the animals and provide fund and knowledge for preserving their natural habitats, as well as safekeeping for the species. Opponents claim that animals in zoos are under physical and mental stress.<ref>{{cite web|author=Sterm, A.|date=28 February 2005|title=Elephant deaths at zoos reignite animal debate: Zoo supporters cite conservation, activists cite confined spaces|publisher=MSNBC/Reuters|url=http://www.elephants.com/media/MSNBC_2_28_05.htm|access-date=24 October 2012|archive-date=23 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923235332/http://www.elephants.com/media/MSNBC_2_28_05.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> Elephants have been recorded displaying [[Stereotypy (non-human)|stereotypical behaviours]] in the form of wobbling the body or head and pacing the same route both forwards and backwards. This has been observed in 54% of individuals in UK zoos.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Harris, M.|author2=Sherwin, C.|author3=Harris, S.|url=http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=WC05007_7719_FRP.pdf|title=Defra Final Report on Elephant Welfare|publisher=University of Bristol|date=10 November 2008|access-date=16 November 2011|archive-date=24 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141124052942/http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Document.aspx?Document=WC05007_7719_FRP.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> One study claims wild elephants in protected areas of Africa and Asia live more than twice as long as those in European zoos; the median lifespan of elephants in European zoos being 17 years. Other studies suggest that elephants in zoos live a similar lifespan as those in the wild.<ref>{{cite web|author=Mott, M.|date=11 December 2008|title=Wild elephants live longer than their zoo counterparts|publisher=National Geographic News|url=http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081211-zoo-elephants.html|access-date=24 October 2012|archive-date=4 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150504050854/http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081211-zoo-elephants.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The use of elephants in circuses has also been controversial; the [[Humane Society of the United States]] has accused circuses of mistreating and distressing their animals.<ref>{{cite web|title=Circus Myths: The true cruelty under the big top|publisher=Humane Society of the United States|url=http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/circuses_entertainment/facts/circus_myths.html|date=25 September 2009|access-date=24 October 2012|archive-date=5 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150905065353/http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/circuses_entertainment/facts/circus_myths.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> In testimony to a US federal court in 2009, Barnum & Bailey Circus CEO [[Kenneth Jeffrey Feld|Kenneth Feld]] acknowledged that circus elephants are struck behind their ears, under their chins, and on their legs with metal-tipped prods, called [[Elephant goad|bull hooks]] or ankus. Feld stated that these practices are necessary to protect circus workers and acknowledged that an elephant trainer was rebuked for using an electric prod on an elephant. Despite this, he denied that any of these practices hurt the animals.<ref>{{cite news|author=Pickler, N.|url=http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20090304/UPDATES01/903040429/Circus-CEO-says-elephants-struck-not-hurt|title=Circus CEO says elephants are struck, but not hurt|agency=Associated Press|date=4 March 2009|access-date=25 October 2012|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130120082119/http://www.dailyrecord.com/article/20090304/UPDATES01/903040429/Circus-CEO-says-elephants-struck-not-hurt|archive-date=20 January 2013|df=dmy-all}}</ref> Some trainers have tried to train elephants without the use of physical punishment. [[Ralph Helfer]] is known to have relied on positive reinforcement when training his animals.<ref>Wylie, p. 142.</ref> Barnum and Bailey circus retired its touring elephants in May 2016.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Karimi|first1=Faith|title=Ringling Bros. elephants perform last show|url=http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/01/us/ringling-bros-elephants-last-show/index.html|access-date=21 September 2017|publisher=CNN|date=2 May 2016|location=St. Petersburg, Florida|archive-date=22 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922050831/http://www.cnn.com/2016/05/01/us/ringling-bros-elephants-last-show/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Attacks===
Elephants can exhibit bouts of aggressive behaviour and engage in destructive actions against humans.<ref name="huggler">{{cite news | url = https://www.independent.co.uk/environment/animal-behaviour-rogue-elephants-419678.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080514154342/http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/animal-behaviour-rogue-elephants-419678.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 14 May 2008 | title = Animal Behaviour: Rogue Elephants | author = Huggler, J. | work= The Independent | date = 12 October 2006 | access-date = 16 June 2007 | location=London}}</ref> In Africa, groups of adolescent elephants damaged homes in villages after cullings in the 1970s and 1980s. Because of the timing, these attacks have been interpreted as vindictive.<ref name="teenage">{{cite news | url = http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/02/16/1140064206413.html | title = Elephant rage: they never forgive, either | author = Highfield, R. | work = [[The Sydney Morning Herald]] | date = 17 February 2006 | access-date = 16 June 2007 | archive-date = 20 September 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130920190617/http://www.smh.com.au/articles/2006/02/16/1140064206413.html | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Siebert, C.|date=8 October 2006|title=An Elephant Crackup?|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/magazine/08elephant.html|access-date=25 October 2012|archive-date=14 November 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121114151839/http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/08/magazine/08elephant.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In parts of India, male elephants have entered villages at night, destroying homes and killing people. From 2000 to 2004, 300 people died in [[Jharkhand]], and in [[Assam]], 239 people were reportedly killed between 2001 and 2006.<ref name="huggler" />
Throughout the country, 1,500 people were killed by elephants between 2019 and 2022, which led to 300 elephants being killed in kind.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Krishnan |first=Murali |date=19 August 2022 |title=India sees uptick in deadly elephant attacks |work=[[Deutsche Welle]] |url=https://www.dw.com/en/india-sees-more-deadly-elephant-attacks-as-habitats-shrink/a-62863404 |access-date=11 June 2023}}</ref> Local people have reported that some elephants were drunk during the attacks, though officials have disputed this.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/241781.stm | title = India elephant rampage | work = BBC News | date = 24 December 1998 | access-date = 16 June 2007 | archive-date = 26 May 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070526151446/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/241781.stm | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/482001.stm | title = Drunken elephants trample village | work = BBC News | date = 21 October 1999 | access-date = 16 June 2007 | archive-date = 26 December 2007 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071226035744/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/south_asia/482001.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> Purportedly drunk elephants attacked an Indian village in December 2002, killing six people, which led to the retaliatory slaughter of about 200 elephants by locals.<ref>{{cite news | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2583891.stm | title = Drunk elephants kill six people | work = BBC News | date = 17 December 2002 | access-date = 16 June 2007 | archive-date = 8 April 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130408031502/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2583891.stm | url-status = live }}</ref>

===Cultural significance===
<!-- Please do not add any more examples to this section. This subject already has its own article -->
{{Main|Cultural depictions of elephants}}
{{See also|Elephants in Kerala culture|List of elephants in mythology and religion|List of fictional pachyderms}}
Elephants have a universal presence in global culture. They have been represented in art since [[Paleolithic]] times. Africa, in particular, contains many examples of elephant [[rock art]], especially in the [[Sahara]] and southern Africa.<ref>Wylie, pp. 62–65.</ref> In Asia, the animals are depicted as [[Motif (visual arts)|motifs]] in [[Hinduism|Hindu]] and [[Buddhism|Buddhist]] shrines and temples.<ref name=Shoshani158 /> Elephants were often difficult to portray by people with no first-hand experience of them.<ref>Kingdon, p. 31.</ref> The [[Ancient Rome|ancient Romans]], who kept the animals in captivity, depicted elephants more accurately than [[medieval]] Europeans who portrayed them more like fantasy creatures, with horse, bovine, and boar-like traits, and trumpet-like trunks. As Europeans gained more access to captive elephants during the 15th century, depictions of them became more accurate, including one made by [[Leonardo da Vinci]].<ref>Wylie, pp. 83–84.</ref>
[[File:Ganesha_asianartmuseumsf.jpg|thumb|[[Hinduism|Hindu]] god [[Ganesha]]]]
Elephants have been the subject of religious beliefs. The [[Mbuti people]] of central Africa believe that the souls of their dead ancestors resided in elephants.<ref name=Shoshani158>McNeely, pp. 158–65.</ref> Similar ideas existed among other African societies, who believed that their chiefs would be [[reincarnation|reincarnated]] as elephants. During the 10th century AD, the people of [[Igbo-Ukwu]], in modern-day Nigeria, placed elephant tusks underneath their dead leader's feet in the grave.<ref>Wylie, p. 79.</ref> The animals' importance is only [[Totemism|totemic]] in Africa but is much more significant in Asia.<ref>Sukumar, p. 87.</ref> In Sumatra, elephants have been associated with lightning. Likewise, in Hinduism, they are linked with thunderstorms as [[Airavata]], the father of all elephants, represents both lightning and rainbows.<ref name=Shoshani158 /> One of the most important Hindu deities, the elephant-headed [[Ganesha]], is ranked equal with the supreme gods [[Shiva]], [[Vishnu]], and [[Brahma]] in some traditions.<ref>Sukumar, p. 64.</ref> Ganesha is associated with writers and merchants, and it is believed that he can give people success as well as grant them their desires, but could also take these things away.<ref name="Shoshani158" /> In Buddhism, [[Gautama Buddha|Buddha]] is said to have taken the form of a [[White elephant (animal)|white elephant]] when he entered his [[Maya (mother of Buddha)|mother's]] womb to be reincarnated as a human.<ref>Sukumar, p. 62.</ref> 

In Western popular culture, elephants symbolise the exotic, especially since – as with the [[giraffe]], [[hippopotamus]], and [[rhinoceros]] – there are no similar animals familiar to Western audiences. As characters, elephants are most common in [[Children's literature|children's stories]], where they are portrayed positively. They are typically surrogates for humans with ideal human values. Many stories tell of isolated young elephants returning to or finding a family, such as "The Elephant's Child" from [[Rudyard Kipling]]'s ''[[Just So Stories]]'', [[The Walt Disney Company|Disney]]'s ''[[Dumbo]],'' and Kathryn and Byron Jackson's ''The Saggy Baggy Elephant''. Other elephant heroes [[Anthropomorphism|given human qualities]] include [[Jean de Brunhoff]]'s [[Babar the Elephant|Babar]], [[David McKee]]'s [[Elmer the Patchwork Elephant|Elmer]], and [[Dr. Seuss]]'s [[Horton the Elephant|Horton]].<ref name="Van Riper 73">{{cite book|author1=Van Riper |author2=A. B. |title=Science in Popular Culture: A Reference Guide|publisher=Greenwood Press|year=2002|pages=73–75|isbn=978-0-313-31822-1}}</ref>

Several cultural references emphasise the elephant's size and strangeness. For instance, a "[[white elephant]]" is a byword for something that is weird, unwanted, and has no value.<ref name="Van Riper 73" /> The expression "[[elephant in the room]]" refers to something that is being ignored but ultimately must be addressed.<ref>Wylie, p. 90.</ref> The story of the [[blind men and an elephant]] involves blind men touching different parts of an elephant and trying to figure out what it is.<ref>Wylie, pp. 27–28.</ref>