Elephant Cemeteries: Myth Or Reality?

It is true that some dead elephant bodies can accumulate in the same place. But it is also common for elephant cemeteries to arise due to circumstances unrelated to these animals.

Throughout history, much has been said about the possible existence of elephant burials, a specific area where African elephants go to die.

A few centuries ago, this myth was very recurrent and widely believed.

The reason for this relentless pursuit is economic in nature. Ivory in those days and even today has a high monetary value. In this way, finding a cemetery for these animals is equivalent to finding El Dorado in America.

What are elephant graveyards?

As its name suggests, it  is a place where a large number of corpses of these animals are found.

The location of this place is a complete mystery ,  considered a myth before European civilizations set foot on the continent.

According to the African myths of different tribes,  elephants, when they feel death approaching, separate from the group.

Thus, they don’t become a burden or slow down the herd.  Alone, they go where no human has gone before to die in peace.

Of course  , Europeans, hearing this story, began to look for the location of  this “crypt” of pachyderms.

The objective was to market  the elephant’s tusks, made of ivory. Ivory is a precious mineral with high monetary value used as decoration for different jewelry.

But as in the case of El Dorado,  there has never been any evidence of these elephant graveyards  anywhere in Africa.

This, to this day, remains a mystery that feeds men’s imaginations. Most people believe that we cannot find these places because they are protected by ancient gods and millenary guardians.

The facts

Take into account the size of African savannas and deserts.  It is a very large area, where the agglomeration of these animals does not seem possible. 

Elephants are migratory.  That’s why it’s common to see herds traveling great distances to find the places where there is more chance of survival, thanks to the presence of water and food.

That’s why it  ‘s unlikely to find elephant burials on the mainland, as the animals are in constant motion to perpetuate the species’ existence.

It is common to see between two or five corpses in a single location, however, more than that is very unusual.

When we find many corpses of any animal, it is due to the  effects of nature or human beings.

Climatic changes, droughts and illegal hunting  motivate the emergence of these cemeteries. However, it has never been proven that these animals have a designated place to die or bury their dead.

An example of nature  is at Lake Rudolf in Kenya. The lake is extremely salty and has certainly poisoned many herds of elephants over the years.

Because of this, it is common to find large numbers of skeletons on its coast.

Also,  the wind influences the location of bones.  Like?

Well, the strong winds from the savannas are capable of causing the bones to shift and disperse from the corpse.

Elephants have a lot of intelligence, so  their curiosity is very high.

We mention this because it is common to see an elephant standing in front of the bones, offering respect to the deceased.

Myth or reality?

When we refer to this myth, we have to say that it  is a half-truth.  It is false that animals have a specific place to die, as the accumulation of their corpses is due to a coincidence.

We can find several corpses in one place, but never in large numbers as many believe.

The reasons for this are due to the environmental conditions of the area in which they live and the illegal hunting of these animals.

Despite this, there is still a belief that elephant burials can be found on the ancient continent.

They also served as  inspiration for various film productions  throughout the 20th century.

• Elephant graveyards appear in at least two movies. The original 1938 Tarzan,  where the plot revolves around the search for one of these sacred sites. Also, in  The Lion King , one of the scenes is set in an elephant graveyard.
• The Bolivian movie called  The Elephant Cemetery  is a metaphor based on this myth. It shows a bar where marginalized men spend their days drinking and whining.