An Asian elephant named Koshik can imitate human speech, saying words in Korean that can be understood by speakers of the language, researchers from the University of Vienna say.
It is unclear why Koshik started mimicking speech, but biologists suggest in research published in the journal Current Biology that it might be related to his experiences as a juvenile. Koshik was the only elephant living at the Everland Zoo in South Korea for about five years in his youth, with only people for company during an important phase for bonding and development.
Researchers found that by sticking his trunk in his mouth to help form the sounds, Koshik has a vocabulary of the five Korean words for "hello," "sit down," "no," "lie down" and "good." Unfortunately, there is no evidence that Koshik understands the meaning of the words he is using. - Reuters
