Elephant in South Korean zoo imitates human speech
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Chief trainer Kim Jong Gab touches the mouth of Koshik, a 22-year-old Asian elephant, at the Everland amusement park in Yongin, South Korea on Friday, Nov 2, 2012. Koshik uses his trunk to pick up not only food but also human vocabulary. He can reproduce five Korean words by tucking his trunk inside his mouth to modulate sound. -- PHOTO: AP
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - Scientists say an elephant in a South Korean zoo uses his trunk to pick up not only food but also human vocabulary.
An international team of researchers says Koshik can reproduce five Korean words by tucking his trunk inside his mouth and modulating the sound coming from his throat. The discovery was reported online Friday in Current Biology.
Koshik can say "annyeong" (hello), "anja" (sit down), "aniya" (no), "nuwo" (lie down) and "joa" (good).
Researchers believe the Asian elephant with two tusks learned to speak out of a desire to bond with his trainers after he was separated from two other elephants.
