Redirected-Aggression

Directing aggression toward an object or individual that is irrelevant to the current situation. When the tendency to attack is thwarted, for some reason (e.g. fear of opponent), the individual may redirect his/her aggression to some other animal or object, such as vegetation. This may involve trashing bushes, trees or throwing sticks, grass, or threatening or attacking other, lesser elephants or smaller animals, or humans in the vicinity.

References: Sanderson 1907; Spinage 1994; Deraniyagala 1955; Eisenberg & Lockhart 1972; Krishnan 1972; McKay 1973; Ben-Shahar 1999; Lahiri-Choudhury 1999; Poole & Granli 2003; Poole & Granli 2011. (Full reference list)

This behavioral constellation includes the following behaviors: Advance-Toward, Bush-Bashing, Forward-Trunk-Swing, Pushing, Throw-Debris, Tusking and occurs in the following context(s): Aggressive

Redirected-Aggression

Context: Aggressive (1)

t is hard to see what happens, but we hear a young male Roar and then Valente, of the Mabenzi family, Advances-Toward him while Ear-Folding; he Runs-Away. After seeing off the young male Valente turns her sights on us. The entire family follows her lead and they begin a Group-Advance on us in an act of Redirected-Aggression. (Gorongosa, Mozambique)