Elephants Exhibit Inhibitory Control

A PLOS One experiment with 16 Asian elephants showed they reliably suppressed the impulse to reach directly for visible, scented food behind a perforated transparent barrier and instead used the trained technique of reaching around the box to retrieve rewards. Older elephants were slower to adapt to changed orientations, suggesting age‑related limits on the same cognitive ability. — If elephants routinely demonstrate impulse control comparable to some primates and birds, this strengthens arguments about their cognitive sophistication and influences public debates on animal welfare, captivity standards, and legal/ethical consideration of large mammals.