Claim – Elephants are transported with chicks to stay still on airplanes.
Analysis
A poetic and uplifting text has been circulating on social media describing an alleged method of air transport for elephants. According to the viral message, the animals would travel on airplanes in cages full of chicks. The justification is that the elephants, afraid of harming the baby chickens, would remain still throughout the flight.
The story, often shared as a lesson in empathy and the nobility of nature, is accompanied by other equally impressive claims — such as a quote attributed to Leonardo da Vinci and romantic descriptions of elephant behavior in life and death. Here is the text being shared:
When an elephant needs to be transported by plane — say, from India to the United States — something unusual happens: its cage is carefully filled with… chicks. Yes, chicks. Small, fragile, defenseless. Why? Because the elephant, this giant of nature, fears harming them. And so, throughout the entire flight, it remains absolutely still. Not out of fear. Not by command. But out of awareness. This is how the plane maintains its balance. And this is how the world first sees the true greatness of a giant.
Intrigued by this delicacy, scientists analyzed its brain and discovered something very rare: spindle cells — the same neurons that in humans are associated with empathy, self-awareness, and the ability to feel others. The elephant is not only strong. It is sensitive. Not only large. It is immensely noble. Leonardo da Vinci, enchanted by this creature, wrote: “The elephant embodies uprightness, reason, and temperance.”
And rightly so. It bathes solemnly, as if wishing to purify its soul. If it sees a lost man, it gently guides him back to the path. It walks in a group, led, never alone. It is modest: it mates away from eyes and washes itself before returning.
If it meets others along the way, it moves them with its trunk — delicately, so as not to hurt. But perhaps the most touching part is the end. When it feels it is about to die, the elephant withdraws. It goes alone. In silence. Not out of cowardice. But to spare the herd the pain. Out of compassion. Out of modesty. Out of love. Three virtues that, even among humans, have become rare.
Fact-check
We admit the story is beautiful and poetic, but it is not true. Given the viral spread of this text, let’s answer the following questions: 1) Are elephants transported on planes with chicks to keep them still? 2) Did Leonardo Da Vinci make such a statement about the species? 3) Do elephants isolate themselves when they die?
Are elephants transported on planes with chicks to keep them still?
No. There is no record of this practice being used in the air transport of elephants. The standard procedure for transporting large animals on airplanes involves strict safety and welfare protocols. As described in IATA (International Air Transport Association) guidelines, animals are generally transported in appropriate containers.
It is also worth noting that it is entirely inadvisable for an animal like an elephant, and this case showed that it was a major logistical challenge (which did not involve chicks).
Did Leonardo Da Vinci make such a statement about the species?
There is no documentary evidence that Leonardo Da Vinci made the statement quoted in the text (“The elephant embodies uprightness, reason, and temperance”). The phrase does not appear in reliable sources or historical records of the Renaissance artist’s works and notebooks. The quote appears to have emerged solely in recent versions of the viral text, without verified origin.
Do elephants isolate themselves when they die?
The idea that all elephants isolate themselves to die is a romantic narrative, not a universally proven behavior. Although there are anecdotal reports of elderly or sick elephants that withdraw, there is no scientific consensus that this happens systematically.
As cited in National Geographic materials and other zoological sources, elephant behavior is complex, and the end of an animal’s life depends on multiple factors — it is not an automatic isolation ritual as described in the viral text.
Conclusion
The story claiming that elephants are transported on airplanes with chicks to keep them still is false. There is no record or logic to such a practice. Furthermore, the phrase attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci is not confirmed in reliable sources, and the idea that elephants isolate themselves to die is a widely spread myth, but not universal or scientifically proven.
Fake news ❌
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