The reading and lecture talks about elephant behaviours Explain how the lecture contrasts the ideas in the reading TPO 51 Integrated Writing

The reading and the lecture are both about the surprising behaviours that elephants exhibit. The author of the reading gives some explanations for these behaviours but the professor is of the belief that the elephant behaviours have been misinterpreted and that there is a practical reason for each of them.

To begin with, the author argues that animals get to know when they are nearing death and therefore, isolate themselves from the herd. The lecturer challenges this specific argument by mentioning that the elephants may not necessarily know that they are approaching death and that there is rather a practical reason for this behaviour. The professor claims that as the elephants age, their teeth start to wear off and as a result, they move away from the herd in order to search for softer vegetation. Now, as soft vegetation is found near water bodies, many bones of elder elephants have been found there.

Secondly, the writer suggests that elephants exhibit artistic behaviour by making drawings on the board which represent the things in the world around them.The lecturer, however, rebuts this by stating that elephants are trained by humans to repeat certain patterns of strokes on the canvas and that the elephants do not actually know what those lines actually depict. The humans stroke the sensitive ears of the elephants which makes the animal draw lines on the canvas. Therefore, the drawings are actually driven by humans and not by the elephants themselves.

Finally, the author posits that elephants fear mice. The lecturer challenges this claim by mentioning that it is not the mice that the elephants are afraid of, it is actually the unfamiliarity with the mice that makes the elephants avoid them. He backs up his claim by mentioning that it is a natural instinct to avoid and be afraid of creatures who you are not familiar with. It is seen that when elephants are in close proximity with mice, like in a zoo, the elephants do not react when they see the mice as they are already familiar with them. Also, as they start becoming more and more familiar with mice, the elephants do not mind the presence of mice anymore.

To sum up, the lecturer and the author hold conflicting opinions on elephant behaviours and the lecturer provides practical reasons for these behaviours shown by the elephants.