Elephants have rich communication repertoires including infrasound vocalisation and tactile behaviour. Understanding these signals enables better welfare assessment in zoo settings.
Elephant communication behaviour provides valuable welfare indicators in zoo settings. Social rumbling, contact calls, and trunk-touching between group members signal positive social welfare. Distress vocalisations, stereotypic behaviour, and social withdrawal indicate poor welfare states. Understanding infrasound communication — which requires specialist equipment to detect — enables more comprehensive welfare monitoring. Zoos that study and respond to elephant communication behaviour can identify welfare problems earlier and assess the effectiveness of management changes. Training zoo staff in elephant communication literacy — recognising the behavioural signals of positive and negative states — improves daily welfare management. The quality of social bonds within elephant groups, expressed through communication patterns, is a key indicator of group welfare.