TPO 51

The reading passage presents several beliefs about elephant behaviors. The professor, in contrast, held a different view by stating that the beliefs in the passage are all misunderstanding.

First, even though the reading passage suggests that elephants know when they are going to die and would break away from their herds and go to certain locations, the professor argues in the lecture that breaking away from groups does not indicate that elephants are aware of approaching death. This is because when the elephants grow older, their teeth are not sharp enough to eat common vegetations. Since soft vegetations usually grow near water, most of the elder elephants would go near water for food and die there. And this location is the so called "elephant graveyards".

Moreover, despite the statement in the reading that some elephants' painting skill represents their artistic ability, the professor contends that training from human trainers are the main reasons why some elephants know how to draw. Then he supports the point with the fact that human trainers could control elephants to paint by touching their ears because their ears are really sensitive. And what elephants draw are simple combination of lines, which could not necessarily represent flowers or other elephants.

Finally, contrary to what is mentioned in the reading that elephants are afraid of mice, the professor suggests that the elephants backed away from mice just because they are unfamiliar with the mice. If elephants live in an environment that was common with mice, for example, some zoos, they would not mind the mice any more.