Why elephants never forget - Alex Gendler

Zakaj sloni nikoli ne pozabijo - Alex Gendler

Translator: Klavdija Cernilogar Reviewer: Nika Kotnik

It's a common saying that elephants never forget,

Velja reklo, da sloni nikoli ne pozabijo,

but these magnificent animals are more than giant walking hard drives.

a te čudovite živali niso samo hodeči trdi diski.

The more we learn about elephants,

Več ko vemo o slonih,

the more it appears that their impressive memory

bolj se zdi, da je njihov odličen spomin

is only one aspect of an incredible intelligence

samo en vidik neverjetne inteligence,

that makes them some of the most social, creative,

zaradi katere so med najbolj družabnimi, ustvarjalnimi

and benevolent creatures on Earth.

in dobrosrčnimi bitji na Zemlji.

Unlike many proverbs, the one about elephant memory

V nasprotju z mnogimi rekli je to o slonjem spominu

is scientifically accurate.

tudi znanstveno točno.

Elephants know every member in their herd,

Sloni poznajo vse člane svoje črede,

able to recognize as many as 30 companions by sight or smell.

do 30 jih lahko prepoznajo samo z vohom ali vidom.

This is a great help when migrating

To je zelo v pomoč, ko potujejo

or encountering other potentially hostile elephants.

ali se srečujejo z morda sovražnimi sloni.

They also remember and distinguish particular cues that signal danger

Zapomnijo si in prepoznajo tudi posamezne znake za nevarnost

and can recall important locations long after their last visit.

in se spomnijo pomembnih krajev dolgo potem, ko so jih nazadnje obiskali.

But it's the memories unrelated to survival that are the most fascinating.

A najbolj neverjetni so spomini, ki niso povezani s preživetjem.

Elephants remember not only their herd companions

Sloni si ne zapomnijo le članov črede,

but other creatures who have made a strong impression on them.

ampak tudi druga bitja, ki so močno vplivala nanje.

In one case, two circus elephants that had briefly performed together

Dva cirkuška slona, ki sta le malo nastopala skupaj,

rejoiced when crossing paths 23 years later.

sta se po 23 letih razveselila ponovnega snidenja.

This recognition isn't limited to others of their species.

Prepoznavanje ni omejeno le na lastno vrsto.

Elephants have also recognized humans they've bonded with after decades apart.

Sloni desetletja kasneje prepoznajo ljudi, na katere so se navezali.

All of this shows that elephant memory goes beyond responses to stimuli.

To kaže, da slonji spomin ni samo odziv na dražljaje.

Looking inside their heads, we can see why.

Poglejmo v njihove glave, da bomo videli, zakaj.

The elephant boasts the largest brain of any land mammal,

Slon ima največje možgane med kopenskimi sesalci

as well as an impressive encephalization quotient.

pa tudi odličen kvocient encefalizacije.

This is the size of the brain relative to what we'd expect

To je velikost možganov glede na pričakovano velikost

for an animal's body size,

v primerjavi z velikostjo telesa

and the elephant's EQ is nearly as high as a chimpanzee's.

in slonji EQ je skoraj tak kot pri šimpanzih.

And despite the distant relation,

Kljub šibki povezanosti

convergent evolution has made it remarkably similar to the human brain,

jih je evolucija naredila izjemno podobne človeškim,

with as many neurons and synapses

s prav toliko nevroni in sinapsami

and a highly developed hippocampus and cerebral cortex.

ter visoko razvitim hipokampusom in možgansko skorjo.

It is the hippocampus, strongly associated with emotion, that aids recollection

Hipokampus, močno povezan s čustvi, pomaga pri spominu,

by encoding important experiences into long-term memories.

saj kodira pomembne izkušnje v dolgoročni spomin.

The ability to distinguish this importance makes elephant memory

Zaradi zmožnosti tega razlikovanja je slonji spomin

a complex and adaptable faculty beyond rote memorization.

kompleksna in prilagodljiva značilnost, ki presega mehanično učenje.

It's what allows elephants who survived a drought in their youth

To slonom, ki so v mladosti preživeli sušo, omogoča,

to recognize its warning signs in adulthood,

da kot odrasli prepoznajo opozorilne znake,

which is why clans with older matriarchs have higher survival rates.

zato imajo klani s starejšimi samicami večjo možnost preživetja.

Unfortunately, it's also what makes elephants one of the few non-human animals

Na žalost sloni zaradi tega kot ena od redkih živalskih vrst

to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.

trpijo za post-travmatskim stresnim sindromom.

The cerebral cortex, on the other hand, enables problem solving,

Možganska skorja pa omogoča reševanje problemov,

which elephants display in many creative ways.

kar sloni kažejo na veliko ustvarjalnih načinov.

They also tackle problems cooperatively,

Probleme rešujejo tudi s sodelovanjem,

sometimes even outwitting the researchers and manipulating their partners.

včasih celo prelisičijo raziskovalce in manipulirajo s partnerji.

And they've grasped basic arithmetic, keeping track of the relative amounts

Poznajo osnove aritmetike, zapomnijo si relativne količine

of fruit in two baskets after multiple changes.

sadja v dveh košarah po več spremembah.

The rare combination of memory and problem solving

Redka kombinacija spomina in reševanja problemov

can explain some of elephants' most clever behaviors,

razloži nekaj slonjih najpametnejših vedenj,

but it doesn't explain some of the things we're just beginning to learn

a ne pojasni določenih stvari, ki jih o njihovem umu šele spoznavamo.

about their mental lives.

Elephants communicate using everything from body signals and vocalizations,

Sloni se sporazumevajo z vsem: telesnimi signali, vokalizacijami,

to infrasound rumbles that can be heard kilometers away.

infrardečimi zvoki, ki se jih sliši na kilometre daleč.

And their understanding of syntax suggests that they have their own language and grammar.

Njihovo razumevanje skladnje kaže, da imajo svoj jezik in slovnico.

This sense of language may even go beyond simple communication.

Ta jezik presega enostavno sporazumevanje.

Elephants create art by carefully choosing and combining

Sloni ustvarjajo umetnost z izbiro in kombiniranjem

different colors and elements.

različnih barv in elementov.

They can also recognize twelve distinct tones of music and recreate melodies.

Prepoznajo tudi dvanajst različnih glasbenih tonov ter poustvarjajo melodije.

And yes, there is an elephant band.

In da, obstaja slonji ansambel.

But perhaps the most amazing thing about elephants

A morda je najčudovitejša sposobnost slonov

is a capacity even more important than cleverness:

še pomembnejša od pameti:

their sense of empathy, altruism, and justice.

poznajo sočustvovanje, nesebičnost in pravičnost.

Elephants are the only non-human animals to mourn their dead,

Sloni so edine živali razen človeka, ki žalujejo za mrtvimi,

performing burial rituals and returning to visit graves.

ki izvajajo pogrebne rituale in se vračajo obiskovat grobove.

They have shown concern for other species, as well.

Kažejo skrb tudi za druge živalske vrste.

One working elephant refused to set a log down into a hole

Neki delovni slon ni hotel položiti debla v luknjo,

where a dog was sleeping,

v kateri je spal pes,

while elephants encountering injured humans have sometimes stood guard

sloni, ki so naleteli na ranjene ljudi, pa so včasih pazili nanje

and gently comforted them with their trunk.

in jih nežno tolažili z rilcem.

On the other hand, elephant attacks on human villages

Po drugi strani se slonji napadi na človeške vasi

have usually occurred right after massive poachings or cullings,

ponavadi zgodijo takoj po množičnih pobojih ali lovu,

suggesting deliberate revenge.

kar nakazuje namensko maščevanje.

When we consider all this evidence,

Če upoštevamo te dokaze,

along with the fact that elephants are one of the few species

skupaj z dejstvom, da so sloni ena od redkih vrst,

who can recognize themselves in a mirror,

ki se prepozna v ogledalu,

it's hard to escape the conclusion

je težko zaključiti kaj drugega,

that they are conscious, intelligent, and emotional beings.

kot da so zavestna, inteligentna in čustvena bitja.

Unfortunately, humanity's treatment of elephants does not reflect this,

Na žalost človeško ravnanje s sloni tega ne odraža,

as they continue to suffer from habitat destruction in Asia,

saj še vedno trpijo zaradi uničenja življenjskega okolja v Aziji,

ivory poaching in Africa, and mistreatment in captivity worldwide.

lova na slonovino v Afriki ter zlorabe v ujetništvu po vsem svetu.

Given what we now know about elephants

Glede na to, kaj vemo o slonih

and what they continue to teach us about animal intelligence,

in kaj nas učijo o živalski inteligenci,

it is more important than ever to ensure

je bolj kot kdajkoli pomembno, da zagotovimo,

that what the English poet John Donne described as "nature's great masterpiece"

da "največja mojstrovina narave", po besedah angleškega pesnika Johna Donna,

does not vanish from the world's canvas.

ne izgine s platna tega sveta.