Associate Professor of Psychology Kristina Howansky recently stepped far outside of her typical research zone and together with colleagues from various institutions and organizations, published an articl,e “Autonomy: An Indicator of Wellbeing in Rewilded Asian Elephants Connected to Karen Communities in Thailand” in the journal Society & Animals.
In this project, researchers collaborated with elephant-keeping communities in Thailand. They found that previously captive elephants being reintegrated into the wild can become healthier when their care includes more "wild" experiences like having autonomy and socializing with other elephants. They developed a "wildness index" to measure the wildness of elephants previously in captivity and provide support for rewilding practices that benefit the elephants while respecting the cultural traditions and knowledge of the Karen mohouts (elephant keepers).
Howansky became involved in this project while in graduate school through her connections with the Rutgers Climate Institute. She was invited to go visit the elephants from the study back in early 2020, but the global COVID pandemic made the visit impossible. This team plans to next explore the rewilding experiences of beluga whales previously kept in Canadian aquariums as Canada passed a bill in 2019 banning keeping whales/dolphins/porpoises in captivity.
