Evidence of means-end behavior in Asian elephants (Elephas maximus)

The present study explores to what extent Asian elephants show means-end behavior. We used captive Asian elephants (N = 2) to conduct four variations of the Piagetian support problem, which involves a goal object that is out of reach, but rests on a support within reach. In the first condition, elephants were simultaneously presented with two identical trays serving as the support, with the bait on one tray and the other tray left empty. In the next two conditions, the bait was placed on one tray, while additional bait was placed beside the other tray. In the last condition, both trays contained bait, but one of the trays had a small gap which prevented the elephants from reaching the reward. Subjects were required to choose and pull either tray with their trunk and to obtain the bait (i.e. goal). Results showed that one elephant performed all of the support problems significantly above chance after several sessions, suggesting that the elephant was capable of understanding that pulling the tray was the means for achieving the end of obtaining the bait. This study showed that elephants show means-end behavior when subjected to a Piagetian support task, and indicates that such goal-directed behavior occurs in species other than primates.