Classical music helps calm elephants

The researchers have discovered that playing classical music to the animals reduces abnormal behaviours such as swaying, pacing and trunk tossing, although they said elephants don't seem to have a favourite composer.

"We tend to see in some situations that elephants don't cope well with captivity just because they have this inherent instinct to roam vast distances," said Dr Deborah Wells at Queen's University in Belfast. "The rationale underlying this study is really to try and improve their welfare and in particular to try to improve these stereotypic patterns of behaviour that elephants are prone to."

The team report in the journal Animal Welfare that the frequency of abnormal behaviours dropped dramatically while the music was playing whereas normal behaviours, such as feeding, remained unchanged.

"Elephants are incredibly sensitive beasts," said David Field, zoological director of London and Whipsnade zoos."Their appreciation of noise communication is far beyond our hearing range. They communicate in deep infrasonic vibrations ... so it wouldn't surprise me at all if [classical music] has this calming effect."