Researchers from Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR) recently studied associations of male Asian elephants by collecting and analysing data on behaviour of identified nonmusth wild Asian elephants of Nagarahole and Bandipur National Parks. They found following trends:
- The time spent by male Asian elephants in all-male and mixed-sex groups depended on the age of the male.
- Adult Asian male elephants preferred to spend their time alone than in mixed-sex or in all-male groups.
- Besides, old males were found mostly in the company of their age peers and less frequently with young males (15 to 30 years of age). Also, young males did not disproportionately initiate associations with old males.
- Adult male Asian elephants are less social than females. They enter musth — a mate-searching strategy for old (above 30 years of age) males, annually.
- The researchers hypothesised that when the adult males enter musth, dominance relationships may affect the number of mating opportunities they procure. Hence, it might be more crucial for old males than for young males to test strength with each other and settle dominance relationships during their nonmusth time.
- All-male groups (in the absence of females) were rare and small.
