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significant populations of elephants. These "rogue" elephants are not just threatening humans and their habitats, but are also wantontly raping and killing other species.
Speculation is that these elephants are the victims of the war being waged on them by poachers and being caught up in human wars in Africa.
The poachers kill the adult elephants right in front of the young elephants, saw off their tusks, and leave the dead bodies to rot.
Imagine how psychologically damaged a human child would be to witness something like this AND to have no adults to help guide them through their grief and anger.
Elephants are highly social animals. Their life span is the same as humans... roughly 70 years. The young elelphants stay with their mothers far longer than most mammals do. And when they mature enough to leave their mothers, they generally stay within the same family group.
In situations where wild life workers have been able to introduce one or more older (adult) elephants into a group of "rogue" younger (adolescent) elephants, the older elephants have been able to lead the group into modifying their behaviors toward other species, including humans.
These elephants are traumatized and acting out in anger, rage, frustration, and grief. They are more like us than most of us realize.
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