Loss of animals’ shared knowledge threatens their survival

This article reminds me of another from 2006 about PTSD in elephants. In various parts of the world, culling events and poaching have killed elder elephants in elephant clans, and traumatized the mostly young survivors, who grow up without guidance in parenting among other crucial activities. This has resulted in a breakdown of the elephant family structure, so that these traumatized and directionless young and mostly male elephants roam the grasslands engaging in senseless acts of violence against other animals and humans (the latter being probably more justified).<p>One of the Ugandan researchers profiled draws parallels between what is happening to elephants and what has happened in the recent history of her country, with the civil war killing parents and grandparents, creating a generation of young traumatized and directionless men who similarly engage in senseless violence and bloodshed.<p>It&#x27;s a really beautiful and really sad article<p><a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2006&#x2F;10&#x2F;08&#x2F;magazine&#x2F;08elephant.html" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.nytimes.com&#x2F;2006&#x2F;10&#x2F;08&#x2F;magazine&#x2F;08elephant.html</a>

In Siege of Baghdad (1258) [0], &quot;...Mongol soldiers looted and then destroyed mosques, palaces, libraries, and hospitals. Priceless books from Baghdad&#x27;s thirty-six public libraries were torn apart, the looters using their leather covers as sandals. Grand buildings that had been the work of generations were burned to the ground. The House of Wisdom (the Grand Library of Baghdad), containing countless precious historical documents and books on subjects ranging from medicine to astronomy, was destroyed.&quot;<p>[0]: <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Siege_of_Baghdad_(1258)" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;Siege_of_Baghdad_(1258)</a>

Migration paths were disturbed too. We need connected green corridors for animals to travel through that span the continent.

&gt; At the peak of the whaling industry, in the late 1800s<p>Yeah, if you start your article with a falsehood that you could have easily fixed with a cursory read of any history of whaling, I can&#x27;t trust you enough to know what you&#x27;re talking about.<p>Peak whaling was 1965-1970, have a look at <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;History_of_whaling#&#x2F;media&#x2F;File:Whaling_by_country.png" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;en.wikipedia.org&#x2F;wiki&#x2F;History_of_whaling#&#x2F;media&#x2F;File...</a>

I have a theory that belief in authority (and conservative&#x2F;authoritarian political ideologies that build on it) evolved because of this pressure, as a way to protect the culture and shared knowledge. In this view, hierarchies are a side effect of the belief in authority in large-scale societies. (I don&#x27;t buy into the social and sexual dominance theories of hierarchies.)

&gt; conservation efforts should consider how culture affects reproduction, dispersal and survivorship.<p>Yes indeed.<p>&gt; Understanding who holds cultural knowledge in a population can be key<p>Revolutionaries and conquerors understand this too.<p>&gt; The [matriarch] female’s experience of [...] which other social units are friendly has a demonstrable knock-on effect<p>Certainly it&#x27;s been important in my family.<p>&gt; However, when a population has lost its cultural knowledge, there may be circumstances where it can be reignited.<p>We can only hope.

This is the most interesting headline I’ve read in a while

What I like in The Guardian is that we are always fucked. Everyday a new tragedy