At the Berlin Zoo, the fascinating world of elephants has taken another turn, showcasing the remarkable intelligence and creativity of these majestic creatures. An Asian elephant named Mary has amazed both zookeepers and scientists with her unique ability to use a hose to give herself showers. This newly documented tool use behavior isn’t just about keeping clean. It also hints at something much richer: the social interactions between Mary and her fellow elephant, Anchali, whose antics have raised eyebrows.
The behavior was detailed in a study published on November 8, 2024, in Current Biology, led by researchers from Humboldt University of Berlin. Michael Brecht, one of the co-authors, described Mary as “the queen of showering,” showcasing techniques and strategies during her bathing routine.
Mary’s skill with the hose has been impressively inventive. She uses her trunk, grasping the hose just right to spray herself with water. When cleaning her back, she switches tactics, extending her reach by using the hose like a lasso, making her bathing ritual almost like performance art.
While Mary's brilliance shines brightly, the dynamics with Anchali add layers of complexity to their lives at the zoo. Young and mischievous, Anchali has taken to manipulating the same hose to disrupt Mary’s showers, leaving scientists pondering whether this behavior is merely playful or something akin to sabotage. “I think it's reasonable to call it sabotage,” said Brecht, who noted the elephants’ history of aggressive interactions, particularly around shower time. At one point, Anchali even kinked the hose to cut off Mary's water supply.
Mary is not just the subject of study due to her impressive talents; her adaptability signals the advanced cognitive skills elephants possess. “I had not thought about hoses as tools much before, but what came out from Lea’s work is the exquisite way elephants understand these tools,” Brecht remarked. Another study co-author, Lea Urban, observed Mary’s methods closely after Kaufmann first filmed the behavior.
Interestingly, Mary doesn’t just accommodate the hose to her bathing needs but also adjusts her technique based on the size of the hose. When presented with larger or smaller diameters, she modifies how she uses the hose. When the hose diameter was reduced, she visibly showed disappointment, demonstrating her preference for the original setup.
This level of tuning isn’t commonly observed among animals using simple tools, signaling Mary’s higher level of environmental interaction. Her showers, which last up to seven minutes, become part of her routine where she intuitively adapts her handling of the hose. This adaptability highlights not only her intelligence but also her emotional responses to the bathing experience.
Meanwhile, Anchali, who doesn’t use the hose to shower, exhibits her own form of complex behavior by manipulating it. She grips and kinks the hose, playfully engaging with it during Mary’s baths. It raises questions about whether this is simple playfulness or, as some researchers warn, jealousy or competitiveness manifesting through disruptive actions.
Brecht expressed his amusement at the idea of elephants playing tricks on one another, reflecting how this behavior could demonstrate their social intelligence. The playful or perhaps spiteful interactions observed could indicate underlying social structures within the elephant group, similar to how humans might interact with close peers.
Chase LaDue, who studies elephant behavior at the Oklahoma City Zoo, suggested Anchali's experimentation with the hose could simply be curiosity rather than calculated sabotage. “It’s common to see elephants engaging with objects like this, akin to toddlers playing with toys,” he explained, underscoring how such playful interaction is natural for elephants.
Although Mary’s hose mastery is impressive and serves as evidence of elephants’ capabilities, it also brings attention to broader issues surrounding captive elephant welfare. Experts have cautioned against generalizing conclusions based on the behavior of one elephant. Mickey Pardo, who studies wild elephants, warned against making sweeping assertions based on Mary’s experiences alone. “While this study reports specific abilities of one elephant, findings suggest other elephants could exhibit similar behavior,” Pardo stated.
Pardo also mentioned how elephants held captive could experience different levels of stress compared to their wild counterparts, affecting social dynamics. “Wild female elephants live with their relatives, but zoo elephants are often housed with unrelated individuals they didn't grow up with, limiting their social interactions significantly,” he explained, highlighting how captivity can create conflict.
Despite the delightful antics of Mary and Anchali, their story serves as a reminder of the ethical and complex nature of keeping elephants in captivity. While studies like this provide valuable insight, they also open the discussion on what it means for elephants, their well-being, and their social constructs when confined away from their natural habitats.
Still, for now, their performances at the Berlin Zoo continue to delight and educate the crowds, illuminating the extraordinary capabilities of elephants and the bonds they share – sometimes playful, sometimes conflicted, but always fascinating.
