Metro.co.uk reports that zookeepers looking after a trio of African elephants are playing them heavy metal music to improve their behavior.

Staff at West Midlands Safari Park in Bewdley, Worcestershire, UK say the troublesome teenage giants are instantly calmed down when they hear the twangs of rock legends such as BLACK SABBATH, LED ZEPPELIN, METALLICA and DEF LEPPARD.

But turn off the anthems during their morning eating and bathing ritual and stroppy adolescents Jack, Lataba and Five throw tantrums and start pacing.

'The elephants love it. It's just such a good distraction for them and a good way to keep them calm,' said keeper Bob Lawrence.


What band/album would you play to an elephant?

Carcass.

In fact you can see them sometimes going crazy and destroy shops and locals!

ANUS should be quite excited for yet another article on the positive effects of metal...

Who? Carcass???

The elephants!!:lol:

I wonder if Elephants enjoy moshing too

Stage diving!

But Elephants windmilling with their giant noses =

Noses up!!!

Anus.com lost much credibility with me when they listed Dark Tranquility under the black metal category.

Now we know why they end up destroying villages...poor elephants, all they want to do is mosh!

you are right!

Fuck that!

I think I would play them Tusk and her Embrace...

What credibility would that be?

Interesting that it keeps the elephants calm. Now that I think about it, it has the same effect on me when I have too much energy.

give the elephants their demands! guitars drums basses and a mic, they will also need the slayer and megadeth discographies.

I wonder with what they are going to hold the pick.

They'll hold the guitars with their tusks and the pick with their nose!

Probably something by Mastodon.

harharhar.

Raped By Elephants - Torsofuck.

I can't see why, considering elephants are not necessarily their primary audience.

Anyway, I've noticed that all of these 'studies' that test the effect of metal on animals/people usually use more rock-based, lighter stuff. Even when they say they used death metal, it's usually been some metalcore/nu metal band with little or no relevance to death metal. So I'd like to see the effect of Carcass, Suffocation, etc. If I recall correctly, there was a bit in Choosing Death where some band (possibly Morbid Angel, I cannot remember right now) was recording/rehearsing at a place with horses and stuff next to it, and they all ran away at the sound of their music. Elephants would most likely do the same, it's totally unnatural stuff.

Well, they could use either result to their advantage... In the case you mentioned, it would be something like "the black abyss of nihilistic transcendentalism that makes animals with low IQ scared."

Agent Steel or Gama Bomb!

OP: Got a source to the article?

That would be awesome!

I'm curious about what Metallica material they played for the elephants. If they didn't react negatively to the earlier era, then perhaps they wouldn't mind other thrash (the cows in the Wacken documentary ran away from Kreator, but who knows...maybe elephants have better musical taste than cows ). Would still be interesting to see how they'd react to death or black metal though.

Haha,, if Black Sabbath is good enough for me, it's good enough for a noble elephannt, to. Pretty cool to imagine these creatures swaying rhythmically to "Into the Void". Heavy!!! Twelve tons of heavy!!

Iron Tusk

Aren't termites also infamous for performing better when Metal is played?

If that's the case, we really need to keep metal away from termites...

Hahaha this is great. I think my understanding of this is that elephants have a lot of rage inside of them and they want to let loose and destroy things from time to time. The agressiveness of the music is a way for their brains to get those feelings without having to hurt anyone or cause any damage.

I want to see those elephants head-banging!

Surprised they are not listening to Clutch.