In human society, culture is the glue that binds us—shared practices, stories, and knowledge passed from generation to generation. But what if elephants, too, have their own kind of culture? As science begins to unravel the complexities of animal societies, elephants have emerged as one of the most compelling examples of cultural species. At Tsavo Trust, where we monitor and protect elephants across the vast Tsavo Conservation Area, we witness daily signs of a social intelligence that runs deeper than instinct.
In this article, we explore what elephant culture might look like, how it manifests in Tsavo’s herds, and why protecting the elders of these societies is critical for the future of the species.
What Is Animal Culture?
Animal culture is defined as group-typical behaviour shared by members of a community that relies on socially learned and transmitted information. This doesn’t mean just copying—but learning, adapting, and passing on traditions within a group. Elephants may not write books or build cities, but their social complexity rivals that of many primates and cetaceans.
Social learning plays a key role. Elephants are known to teach, imitate, and learn from each other—be it through migration routes, water access, reactions to threats, or social behaviours. In some cases, traditions may last generations and shape how different herds interact with their environment.
Signs of Elephant Culture
In the wild, elephants show clear opportunities for cultural transmission. They live in matriarchal societies where calves stay close to their mothers and other allomothers for many years—plenty of time to learn essential life skills. Older females often lead the group, using their experience to guide the family through seasonal changes and dangers.
Young bulls, too, learn from their elders. After leaving their maternal herd in adolescence, male elephants often seek out older bulls to travel and feed with, learning social dominance structures and behaviour. These male mentoring groups may be especially important in riskier environments.
In Amboseli and Samburu, studies have even identified regional variations in vocalisations—what some researchers believe may be the equivalent of “dialects,” passed on not by genes but by social learning.
Trauma, Memory, and Cultural Disruption
Elephants’ ability to remember and emotionally respond to past events offers a powerful window into their social intelligence. There are anecdotal reports from Tsavo of a bull elephant that avoided a waterhole where a companion had been killed—only returning years later. While not formally documented, this aligns with scientific findings that elephants have excellent spatial memory and can associate locations with trauma. Elephants have also been widely observed reacting emotionally to the remains of deceased herd members—touching bones, lingering near carcasses, and displaying what many researchers interpret as mourning behaviour.”
Such reactions suggest that elephants not only remember but may pass on avoidance behaviour or emotional knowledge through their social groups—key components of cultural learning.
The Wisdom of the Matriarch
In elephant society, matriarchs are more than just leaders—they are the custodians of knowledge passed through generations. These older females hold critical survival information, from migration routes to predator recognition, and their experience can mean the difference between life and death for their families. Long-term research in Amboseli has shown that families led by older matriarchs are better equipped to survive environmental hardships. For instance, during a severe nine-month drought in Tarangire National Park in 1993, infant mortality soared to 20%. However, elephant groups led by older matriarchs who chose to migrate out of the park fared significantly better, demonstrating a direct survival advantage linked to matriarchal knowledge.
Matriarchs also play an essential role in decision-making during times of danger. In a study led by Karen McComb, elephant groups were played recordings of lion roars. The older matriarchs listened longer to the calls of male lions—recognising the greater threat—while younger matriarchs reacted similarly to male and female roars. This showed that experience shapes how elephant groups assess and respond to predators.
Nowhere is the importance of matriarchs more evident than in Tsavo, where Dida—believed to have been Africa’s largest female tusker—once reigned. Dida was a symbol of resilience and wisdom, leading her herd through decades of seasonal change, drought, and danger until her natural death at 60–65 years old. She not only passed down her exceptional genes but also a lifetime of knowledge to her descendants. Her presence exemplified how matriarchs act as cultural anchors within elephant society—and why their loss through poaching or other disruptions can fracture not just families, but the cultural continuity of elephants themselves.
Could Tsavo’s Elephants Have Unique Traditions?
With around 16,000 elephants and several family lineages, Tsavo offers a rare opportunity to explore how culture might take shape in the wild. The area is home to a remarkable population of Super Tuskers—elephants with tusks weighing over 100 lbs each—including 11 recognised individuals and 32 emerging tuskers. This suggests a possible preference for large-tusked mates, a behaviour that could be culturally reinforced and is not as prevalent in other regions where tusk size has diminished.
During periods of abundant rain, elephants in Tsavo gather in large ‘mega herds’, socialising, mating, and potentially exchanging knowledge between groups—behaviour not commonly observed in places like the Maasai Mara, where rainfall is more consistent year-round. These seasonal gatherings may be important not just for genetics but for social cohesion and learning.
Elephants have also shown a remarkable ability to adapt to man-made changes in the landscape. After the construction of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR), elephants learned to use specific underpasses and bridges to maintain their traditional migratory routes.
In other cases, elephants have modified their behaviour in response to conservation measures. Thanks to community-based projects like the Kamungi Conservancy and the strategic use of elephant-proof fencing by Tsavo Trust, some elephants have stopped raiding crops, instead returning to natural food sources. This shift in behaviour may have been learned and passed on within family groups.
There is even anecdotal evidence that some Super Tuskers, aware of the increased attention they draw, conceal their ivory in thick bushes when tourist vehicles approach—yet another example of elephants adapting based on experience and observation.
Why Cultural Knowledge Matters for Conservation
Culture affects survival. Elephants don’t just pass on physical genes—they share ways of life. Understanding how and what elephants learn from each other helps conservationists tailor strategies that protect not just individuals, but the continuity of knowledge that keeps herds functioning.
For instance, rewilding or translocation efforts may fail if relocated elephants don’t know how to find water or avoid danger. Protecting matriarchs and older bulls isn’t just about preserving big tusks—it’s about safeguarding wisdom.
At Tsavo Trust, we believe culture is part of what makes elephants special—and part of what makes conserving them so important. Through long-term monitoring, aerial surveillance, and ground patrols, we’re not just protecting elephants; we’re protecting their stories.