While in the wild, listen

Can animal behaviour be decoded through sound? Wild Frequencies, a three-part mini-series by Mongabay-India, takes this question seriously - and answers it with nuance, science and a touch of wonder.

In the second episode, Know Them, hosts Shreya Dasgupta and Kartik Chandramouli talk to Seema Lokhandwala of the Elephant Acoustic Project, which aims to develop and deploy state-of-the-art tech to monitor and understand elephant presence to mitigate human-elephant conflict in Kaziranga National Park and the Karbi Anglong region.

Lokhandwala guides us through the rich vocal repertoire of Asian elephants - chirps, rumbles, trumpets, roars - all clues to how they communicate, bond and navigate human- dominated landscapes. Each call is a building block of behaviour, offering insights into herd dynamics, alarm signals and emotional states.


The episode, shaped by Abhijit Shylanath's sound design, helps us hear individuality in the wild. These aren't generic members of a species; they're decision-makers, living rich lives shaped by relationships, risks and survival strategies.

Wild Frequencies makes a strong case: to understand animals deeply, sometimes you don't need to watch them - you need to listen.