A fascinating video is viral online purporting to show an Elephant Talking to its Keeper in Srirangam Temple. The video appears to show the Elephant making short and sweet sounds talking to its keeper in the Sri Ranganathaswamy Temple located in Srirangam, Tiruchirapalli, Tamil Nadu.

Although the Elephant is not talking like humans, what you see in the video is real. It shows a small conversation as many viewers were amazed to see the special bond between the human and huge animal.

Initially the video was shared last month by a Twitter user with the handle @Gannuprem with the caption, “Andal from Shrirangam temple being shy of camera as she talks to her mahout.”

The video was soon retweeted by an IFS officer Sudha Ramen, after which the video actually started going viral. She shared the video clip with the caption, “Watch this sweet communication between the Srirangam Temple elephant Andal and her Mahout. Elephant’s relation with the Mahout has mostly been so deep & intense. It is an eternal love. Only those who have seen that true love can understand,” she wrote while sharing the clip. 

About the Video of Elephant ‘Talking’ in Srirangam Temple

The video viral on social media in fact shows Srirangam temple’s Aandal Elephant walking in conversation with her caretaker Rajesh. The Elephant Aandal has been living in the Sri Ranganatha Swamy Temple, Srirangam for over 30 years. As the keeper Rajesh walks the elephant down the road in early morning, Aandal responds to his talk with short and sweet sounds. In between the conversation, the elephant stopped for a while to urinate and is probably refusing politely to move along for same reasons.

Indian Forest Service official Susanta Nanda shared the video on 11th November 2020. Likewise, he explains the Mahout (elephant keeper) pleads with the elephant and she refuses politely. He also mentioned the special bond between the two is beyond our comprehension. The relationship between temple elephants & the mahouts/priests is special. They share deep bond through generations.

About Elephant Sounds

Elephants do communicate using distinct sounds. They can produce rumbles, snorts, barks, roars, trumpets and cries. These creatures also produce low and high-frequency sounds by lengthening or shortening their vocal cords. A fascinating article on National Geographic explains about ‘Elephant Calls’ with wonderful audio examples. Moreover, elephants can also imitate sounds. For instance, an elephant at a zoo in South Korea has learned to imitate human speech and has a vocabulary of some words like choah (good) and nuo (lie down). You can watch the same in the video below.

References:

hoaxorfact.com - by Siddhartha Vookoti