Pushing

Pushing the head or base of trunk into the back, side, head or trunk of another to move it away or along or to assist it. Pushing comes in different forms and may be rough in aggressive contexts or very gentle in a situation where an elephant is attempting to help, herd or shepherd a family member.

All age/sex groups may be observed to Push in an Aggressive context; while adult, adolescent and juvenile females may Push in a Calf Reassurance & Protection context; and adult females in a Movement Space & Leadership context. Social Play context Pushing is most likely to involve males of all ages.

References: Lee 1986; Moss 1988; Langbauer 2000; Poole & Granli 2003; Poole & Granli 2004; Poole & Granli 2011; O’Connell-Rodwell et al 2011 [including Herding-Push]. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Aggressive, Calf Reassurance & Protection, Courtship, Movement, Space & Leadership, Social Play

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (1)

The group is moving while feeding with general movement forward. A 1.5 year old female calf stops to feed. A 6-7 year old male wants to keep moving and basically barges on through Pushing the calf sideways. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (2)

A young male walks over to adult female, Valente, gf0013, who is Urinating. He wants to test her and one of her calves in blocking him. He gently Pushes the calf out of the way and reaches his Trunk-to-Genitals. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (3)

In Slo-mo: Corojosa has initiated a Coalition through a series of Trunk-Sweeps and a Perpendicular-Walk. As the clip begins the family is coalescing and she and Bullet engage in High-Fiving. Corajosa seems to propel Bullet in the right direction for a Group-Advance toward us by Pushing her. This appears to be a form of Guiding. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (4)

This is Nalakite's family. As the clip starts we see two 4.5 year old male calves. A young adult female comes into view and Pushes the calf on the right out of the way so that her own calf can Suckle. Note that she reaches Trunk-to-Infant-at-Breast to see if he is Suckling ok - rather strange behavior considering the age of the calf. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (5)

Big Mama's family is Moving-While-Feeding. Big Mama slowly approaches an adolescent female who is standing still and, "scrunching" up her trunk, she uses it to gently Push the adolescent female forward. After clearing the space she uses her trunk to Sniff-Ground. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (6)

Big Mama uses her foreleg and body to gently Push her calf to the side so that she can access a branch. She puts her foreleg forward so that the calf can Suckle - as if in compensation. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (7)

Little E is only a few days old and is Sheltering under allomother Lorato. Allomother V-Notch swings her trunk toward him a couple of times and then touches him Trunk-to-Mouth - an action that attracts his attention. He totters over to her, whereupon she immediately uses this to her advantage and tries to Guide Little E away.

Meanwhile Mama Little E mother is behind both allomothers and is trying to retrieve Little E. She gives Lorato a gentle Push to reach Little E. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (8)

The adult female in center frame was feeding in this spot when the medium sized male (whose bum we see) moved into her space to Retreat-From another male who threatened him. As the clip begins, a large Advances-Toward a smaller male who Retreat-From.

In the next section the female in question pauses and then gently Pushes him out of the way so she can return to where she had been. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (9)

The clip begins with mother and female calf drinking in the river bed. The mother decides it is time to depart and gives her calf a Trunk-Nudge and then gently Pushes her and moves her along and lead her across the rocky stream. She moves very carefully over the loose and slippery rocks using her trunk to Test-Substrate. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (10)

Little E has found a pile of fresh dung and is eating from it - a behavior known as Coprophagia. A 2 year old female comes along and inspects what he is doing and then uses a gentle Push apparently to stop him from eating the poo and Guide him away from it.

We have seen this sort of intervention by older elephants before. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (11)

Little E is 7 days old and his family is resting peacefully under tree until Grumpy Grandma, f0412, comes. She gently but determinedly Pushes her way behind others into the shade. As Grumpy Grandma barges through we can see Mama Little E Eye-Blinking in attentiveness and concern. There is a lot of kerfuffle and some Rumbling. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (12)

Elephants are agitated and concerned about us. Nomada wants to get moving and gives gf0004 two Pushes. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)

Pushing

Context: Movement Space & Leadership (13)

The AAs are in the background with a musth male. Another AA female is in the foreground in a Periscope-trunk posture. She looks dozy. Another dozy female comes up behind her and doesn't seem to have the energy to go around her (They have been Resting nearby). She gently Pushes her and they resume their slow walk to the swamp edge. (Amboseli, Kenya)