Berlin Zoo Elephants Exhibit Tool Use and Possible Playful Sabotage

A study highlights an elephant's ability to use a hose for showering and another's potential for playful interference.

Mary, a 54-year-old Asian elephant at Berlin Zoo, has been observed using a hose to shower herself, demonstrating complex tool use.
The study, published in Current Biology, suggests elephants have an intuitive understanding of hoses due to their similarity to trunks.
Anchali, a younger elephant, frequently interrupts Mary's showers by kinking the hose, raising questions about her intentions.
Researchers could not conclusively determine if Anchali's actions were deliberate sabotage or playful behavior.
The findings add to the evidence of elephants' cognitive complexity, though some caution against generalizing from a single case.