Field guides and wildlife trackers working hours around the clock in the bush for decades often see the rarest of animal life events, that many academic researchers can only read about in journals, or hypothesise about.

No event is so rare to witness, yet so fundamental to animal health and survival, then birth in wild-living mammals. Furthermore, in elephant species, birth is more than a physical and physiological process, it is a moment of varied, abundant, important social activity in the group. The trumpeting, kicking of dust, and the immediate protective huddle of the “Aunties” creates a high excitement scene that is thought to represent an important moment of social bonding in the growing herd. Adaptively, social support given by group members is thought to reduce maternal distress, facilitate healthier labour progression and improve labour outcomes and mother-calf bonding, as well as provide an important learning opportunity for younger females in the group yet to give birth themselves.

However, in the world of formal scientific research, these moments are remarkably under-documented, and the clear value of sociality to birth processes in social mammals such as elephants is largely unappreciated. Because rare life events are difficult to study qualitatively and quantitatively, there is a significant gap in our understanding of how social dynamics influence labour, birth, and the critical moments of early postpartum.

The Social Elephant Birth Project, in collaboration with Elephant Welfare International is therefore appealing to members of the FGASA that have witnessed elephant labour, birth and/or the immediate postpartum period at least once across their careers. Your contributions of observations of elephant birth in the wild are highly valuable, as they provide an eye-witness account of how the birth process looks like in elephants under natural circumstances.

We have launched a global survey gathering observations of social behaviours performed at elephant birth, to synthesise the collective knowledge of elephant experts, including wildlife guides and trackers. We would highly appreciate if members able to participate would consider doing so, to contribute to improving our understanding of this fascinating and critical social, physical, and physiological phenomenon.

The survey takes approximately 10–15 minutes to complete. It primarily uses an easy tick-box system to indicate the specific behaviors you have witnessed during elephant birth, as well as provides opportunities to explain your unique insights. Please contact the researchers if you need translation assistance, or help navigating the survey.

Online Survey Link: https://forms.gle/5xoLpkbQLBPCmyCR7

Or email Connie Wild on connierballen@gmail.com to access the survey.