“If anyone wants to know what elephants are like,” Pierre Corneille once explained, “they are only more like humans.”
This was an insightful observation for a person living in the 1600s, as researchers have learned over the centuries that elephants are in many ways just like us. They mourn their dead, cry for joy, and form close family ties.
They also have a lifespan similar to ours, and today we’re looking at some of the oldest known elephants to ever live.
Fast Crash Course Elephant Trekking
Elephants are the largest land mammals currently roaming the Earth, especially in Africa and Asia. As you might have guessed, gentle but giant herbivores need a lot of fuel, and the average adult elephant lays 330 pounds of vegetation per day. But when you consider that elephants weigh between 5,000 and 14,000 pounds, 330 pounds of food makes sense!
Despite their commanding size, the elephants are not all right. Due to poaching, climate change and habitat destruction, all three existing species are listed on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s Red List. African bush elephants and Asian elephants are endangered, and African forest elephants are endangered.
The easiest way to distinguish African from Asian elephants is with their ears: the former are much larger and resemble the African continent in shape; the latter are smaller and shaped like the Indian subcontinent!
What is the average lifespan of an elephant?
The average lifespan of Asian elephants is 48 years. African elephants usually live to be 60 or 70 years old.
Unfortunately, zoo elephants have the shortest lifespan. A six-year study concluded that pachyderms living in European zoos die much earlier than those living in protected reserves throughout Africa and Asia. The researchers believe that bondage seriously compromises the mental health of elephants, so much so that stress can lead to early death.
Poaching is a huge threat
Although elephants live relatively long compared to other animals in the wild, poaching is an increasingly serious problem for the pachyderm population. More than 30,000 elephants are reportedly killed annually for their ivory.
The situation is dire and difficult. Corporate invasion and urban expansion have undermined the traditional livelihoods of many communities, and regional wages to replace old practices are low and inadequate. But ivory black market buyers are willing to pay enough to support a poor family for an entire year, so poaching continues. Solving the problem will require a multifaceted plan that takes into account sociological, economic and psychological considerations at both the micro and macro levels.
The available evidence suggests that Mother Nature is also working on this problem, and some scientists suggest that elephants without tusks can climb the evolutionary ladder. However, relevant research is still in its infancy and conclusions remain to be drawn.
The oldest known elephants
No one is sure which animal currently holds the record for the oldest elephants, because longtime record holder Daksayani passed away in 2019 at the ripe old age of 88. Shortly after his death, the pandemic descended and the new crown holder has yet to be named.
According to our research, Raju, the Asian elephant rescued in 2014 by Wildlife SOS may be ahead of the pack. His veterinarian thinks he is in his fifties. According to reports, Raju was a slave elephant, and when the shackles from Wildlife SOS were removed from his shackles, Raju burst into tears of joy.
But the likelihood that Raju is the oldest elephant on the planet is rather small. A thick-skinned, 60-plus-year-old who has escaped poaching, most likely lives somewhere in the wild.
Former oldest elephant record holders include:
- Lin Wang is a WWII veteran and resident of Taipei Zoo, Lin Wang was born in 1917 and passed away in 2003 at the age of 86. For many years he held the title of the oldest living elephant in the world.
- Indira – Indira has lived most of her life at Sakrebailu in Karnataka, an elephant rehabilitation center in India. Obedient and docile, Indira lived to be about 90 years old – at least that was her veterinarian’s best guess. No one was sure of her real age at the time of her death, because she was not born in captivity. Indira passed away in 2017.
- Shirley – Shirley was born into a toxic circus environment where she was bullied by handlers. Fortunately, it was eventually sold to the Louisiana Gardens and Zoo in Monroe, Louisiana, and was eventually placed in the Tennessee Elephant Sanctuary. Shirley was first welcomed to the world in 1948. Sadly, she died in 2021 at the age of 73, which is a long time for an Asian elephant!
- Hanako – When Hanako entered elephant paradise in 2016, she was the oldest Asian elephant in Japan. Hanako lived at the Inokashira Park Zoo, but her treeless aviary has generated much controversy. In addition, they forced Hanako to live alone, which is tantamount to being thrown into solitary confinement for no reason.
- Tyranza – A longtime inhabitant of the Memphis Zoo, Tyranza – Tai for short – was once the oldest African elephant in North America. Tai was born in 1964 and orphaned early. From there, she was sent to the circus and rescued in 1977 by the Memphis Zoo. Sadly, she passed away in 2020.
Elephants are incredible animals. To ensure their survival, conservationists, scientists and animal advocates must work together to develop effective programs that meet the needs of both elephants and humans.