Elephants can alter long-established migration routes when environments change. They reroute around human development or degraded land. These changes are deliberate, not random. Herds test new paths and remember successful alternatives. Migration becomes adaptive strategy, not tradition alone.
It matters because it shows elephants can respond to rapid environmental change. They are not trapped by instinct.
This has implications for land-use planning. Blocking corridors limits elephant adaptability.
Some herds permanently abandon routes used for centuries after habitat disruption. New routes are taught to future generations.
World Conservation Society (wcs.org)