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Do elephants show empathy?

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journal contribution
posted on 2023-06-09, 16:40 authored by Lucy Bates, Phyllis C Lee, Norah Njiraini, Joyce H Poole, Katito Sayialel, Soila Sayialel, Cynthia J Moss, Richard W Byrne
Elephants show a rich social organization and display a number of unusual traits. In this paper, we analyse reports collected over a thirty-five year period, describing behaviour that has the potential to reveal signs of empathic understanding. These include coalition formation, the offering of protection and comfort to others, retrieving and ‘babysitting’ calves, aiding individuals that would otherwise have difficulty in moving, and removing foreign objects attached to others. These records demonstrate that an elephant is capable of diagnosing animacy and goal directedness, and is able to understand the physical competence, emotional state and intentions of others, when they differ from its own. We argue that an empathic understanding of others is the simplest explanation of these abilities, and discuss reasons why elephants appear to show empathy more than other non-primate species.

History

Publication status

  • Published

File Version

  • Accepted version

Journal

Journal of Consciousness Studies

ISSN

1355-8250

Publisher

Ingenta

Issue

10-11

Volume

15

Page range

204-225

Department affiliated with

  • Psychology Publications

Full text available

  • Yes

Peer reviewed?

  • Yes

Legacy Posted Date

2019-01-30

First Open Access (FOA) Date

2019-01-30

First Compliant Deposit (FCD) Date

2019-01-29

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