Elephants remember the scent of their keepers for decades 

An elephant never forgets, as the saying goes, and there is compelling new evidence that this may be true. 

A recent study suggests that proboscideans – such as elephants – remember waterholes they visited decades ago and recognize other elephants they have not encountered in a long time. 

Do elephants remember humans?

But can their exceptional memory extend beyond their own species? Do elephants remember humans, particularly their keepers, even after years apart?

As part of his bachelor thesis, study lead author Martin Kränzlin conducted a study investigating elephant memory under the supervision of Christine Böhmer in the Zoological Institute at Kiel University. 

“There are exciting stories of Asian elephants that suggest this,” said Kränzlin. “For example, it has been reported that elephants threw stones at a former owner they didn’t like when they met again many years later.” 

“However, these are only anecdotal reports; this question has not yet been scientifically investigated.”

Elephants remember the scent of their keepers

In a study published in the journal Zoo Biology, Kränzlin and his colleagues provide the first scientific evidence that elephants can, indeed, recognize the scent of their keepers even after a long period of time. 

The research was conducted in cooperation with the Serengeti Park in Hodenhagen, Lower Saxony, where two female elephants – Bibi and Panya – have lived since being relocated from the Berlin Zoo 13 years ago.

“We contacted the former zookeepers in Berlin, a total of three men,” said Kränzlin. “For our experiment, they wore a T-shirt for eight hours, which we later used as a scent stimulus. We also recorded a short spoken sentence from them and took portrait photos of them.”

Focus of the research 

In the experiment, two racks were set up side by side just outside the elephants’ enclosure. On one rack, the researchers placed a stimulus from a former keeper – such as a worn T-shirt or a life-size print of a portrait photo. 

The other rack displayed a corresponding stimulus from someone unfamiliar to the elephants.

The elephants could see the racks but could not physically reach them with their trunks. Still, they regularly extended their trunks toward the stimuli, clearly attempting to examine them more closely. 

“We filmed the behavior of each elephant we tested,” said Kränzlin. “We then used the videos to analyze how often and for how long the animals extended their trunks toward the racks.”

The researchers hypothesized that if the stimulus presented was familiar to the elephants, they would show more interest. 

Exceptional sense of smell in elephants 

As expected, Bibi and Panya tried to reach the stimuli more frequently and for longer when it involved something from their former keepers – especially when it was a T-shirt.

Interestingly, the elephants’ reactions to the spoken sentences and portrait photos were not statistically significant, which didn’t come as a complete surprise. Elephants are known for their exceptional sense of smell, while their vision is relatively poor. 

“Our results are a clear indication that elephants can at least remember the scent of their former keepers, even decades later,” Böhmer explained. “Nevertheless, further studies with a larger number of individuals are needed to confirm the results.”

Further research is needed

The experts said that due to the small sample size and magnitude of the influencing factors, the results only represent indications of the possible social long-term memory. 

“Nevertheless, we were able to provide the first empirical evidence that elephants store information about specific people over a long period of time,” noted the study authors.

“Further studies with larger sample sizes, cross-modal testing, and people disliked by the elephants could provide more insights.”

Implications for elephant welfare 

The findings have significant implications for the care of elephants in zoos. If elephants truly remember their keepers for such a long time, it suggests that these relationships are crucial to their well-being. 

A stable and long-term relationship with their human caregivers may have a profoundly positive effect on the mental and emotional health of zoo elephants.

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