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ELEPHANTS have an extraordinary spatial memory that allows them to recall specific locations and past events over long periods, a Malaysian wildlife expert has said, following a tragic incident involving a mother elephant and her calf in Perak.
Dr Jamhuri Jamaluddin, Senior Lecturer at Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Faculty of Forestry and Environment, said elephants are capable of remembering routes they have taken, even after being translocated, due to their complex spatial abilities.
“Elephants possess spatial memory, including the ability to remember specific areas and understand the concept of death. They can ‘lock in’ a location and return to visit it. That is the remarkable instinct of elephants, and science has yet to explain how they can remember in such a way,” he told Bernama.
Dr Jamhuri is currently conducting research in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (Perhilitan) to monitor elephant movement patterns. He noted that, based on this cognitive ability, the female elephant whose calf was fatally struck by a lorry in Gerik last Sunday may eventually return to the site.
The incident, which occurred along the Gerik-Jeli stretch of the East-West Highway, resulted in the death of a male calf estimated to be around five years old. Footage showing the mother elephant attempting to rescue her calf from beneath the lorry went viral on Mother’s Day, sparking an outpouring of grief and sympathy from the public.
Dr Jamhuri also highlighted the deep emotional and social bonds shared among elephants, describing their relationships as “biological, social, and emotional.”
“The emotional intelligence of elephants is not a myth, as these animals understand the concept of death and know the area where a family member has passed. They know, and sometimes, they even return to the same place, even if only the bones remain,” he explained.
“The relationships among elephants are biological, social, and emotional, to the extent that a mother elephant will care for her calf for many years,” he added.
Conservationists have long documented elephants revisiting sites where herd members have died, and instances of mourning-like behaviour. The Gerik tragedy has reignited concerns over wildlife-vehicle collisions and the need for improved mitigation measures along Malaysian highways that cut through elephant habitats. - May 14, 2025
