Eleven elephants spent years behind fences, hauling tourists or performing for crowds. Then South Africa set them free. Now, half a decade later, scientists have an answer to the question that hung over the whole experiment: could these elephants actually make it on their own? The answer, according to new research, is yes, and it's not even close.
A study published July 29 in t he journal PLOS One followed 11 formerly captive elephants released into four fenced reserves across South Africa. After five years of watching them, researchers say the animals ended up behaving almost exactly like elephants that had never known captivity at all.
