Conservation Education Using Elephant Cognition

We evaluated whether the inclusion of elephant cognition in an education program resulted in changes in attitudes towards elephants and elephant conservation and the effect of rurality, gender, and age on attitudinal change. The study group was comprised of villagers living in and around Bannerghatta National Park. We found that adolescents had more favourable attitudes towards Asian elephants than adults, and participants in urban areas had more favourable attitudes than those in rural areas. No gender differences were observed. Overall, using elephant cognition as an educational tool did not result in more favourable attitudes towards elephants and elephant conservation.