Elephants are very sensitive animals and feel pain, both physical and psychological, like humans do. Elephants in the wild move in large groups and are very social animals.
The herd consist of females while the adult males generally go solitary, but are sometimes seen in male groups as well. There is a marked pecking order in the herd with the eldest female ruling the roost. They are very protective of each other and communicate to each other through their own language (which some call the ’elephant song‘). The young ones are guarded zealously and are pampered by loving aunts and a stern mother. As the elephants grow older, the males separate from the herd and may prefer solitary lives.

In Kerala there are six hundred elephants in captivity (excluding those in the custody of the Forest Department of Kerala) of which a hundred and sixty are with the devaswam (temples) while four hundred and forty are with private individuals.

Tuskers are preferred in Kerala over females and presently private collections account for around four hundred and eight males to a hundred and twenty females.

Elephants rarely breed in captivity.