Providers of the Forest: How Elephants Keep Other Animals Survive

In the heart of Sumatra’s rainforest, life is constantly moving and making noises, like a wildlife questions and answers session between various animals. Birds are calling from the tops of the trees, followed by monkeys leaping from branch to branch, while some small insects are buzzing near some dry leaves on the ground. But hidden among all this vibrant activity is a quiet hero that holds the ecosystem together: the Sumatran elephant.

They may seem like slow-moving, independent wanderers. But elephants are actually deeply connected to many other animals around them. From cute tiny frogs to some bigger mammals and even birds up in the sky, elephants play a crucial role in keeping nature in balance.

Trailblazers for Tigers, Deer, and More
As we know, Sumatran elephants roam across the forests with their massive body size and strength. They don’t just move — they make a way in such a dense forest. By just walking and breaking some branches as well, they are also pushing through thick undergrowth, creating clear paths through the trees. These trails become lifelines for other species. Tigers, for example, often follow these elephant-made paths to navigate silently through their territory while hunting.

Meanwhile, deer and wild boars also benefit from the same trails to access water sources more easily and also migrate during changing seasons. Without elephants clearing the way, many of these animals would find their habitat more fragmented and difficult to survive in.

Seed Spreaders for Trees and Fruit Eaters Alike
As we have covered in some articles before, elephants are excellent gardeners of the rainforest. They break and stomp some plants while making a way, but they also recreate life for other plants along the way.

They consume fruits from trees like durian, jackfruit, and wild figs and carry the seeds far and wide in their digestive systems. When these seeds are passed through dung, they land in fertile ground, giving birth to new trees.

This benefit is not just for the forest itself but also for various fruit-eating animals like hornbills, macaques, and squirrels. These animals’ lives depend on the very fruits that elephants help spread. In this mutual system, elephants indirectly feed other animals while maintaining the biodiversity that keeps the jungle resilient.

Helpers to Birds, Insects, and Amphibians
If we pay more attention, there are some animals that follow elephants quite literally. Birds like cattle egrets walk alongside them and have a wonderful feast on insects that are disturbed by the elephants’ massive feet. Insect populations, on the other hand — including beetles and butterflies — also benefit from elephant dung, which serves as a breeding ground and food source.

Not just in the land; amphibians that live near the water or wet areas also benefit from one fancy elephant’s hobby, mud baths. After bathing, sometimes they create some wallow in the mud that can be a perfect nest for little frogs to lay their eggs.

Engineers of Light and Growth for Primates and Rodents
When elephants pull some branches or knock some trees down, they open the forest canopy, letting sunlight reach inside the forest. This light is crucial for the growth of smaller plants and shrubs that will become food for some herbivorous species like porcupines, tapirs, and certain types of monkeys. The damaged trees, on the other hand, can become hiding places for small reptiles — like geckos or snakes.

These sunlit clearings also become perfect spots for young trees to grow — trees that will someday provide food and shelter for a wide range of forest inhabitants. It’s a chain of support that begins with the elephant and benefits dozens of others.

So What Happens if Elephants Disappear?
Seeing all the contributions by Sumatran elephants, we should learn that they take such an important role in the ecosystem. We can say that other animals’ lives depend on our big buddy.

Without them, tigers may lose accessible travel corridors, making it harder to hunt and maintain territory. Birds and monkeys would see a decrease in fruit trees, while rodents and reptiles would lose the safety of sunlit clearings and thick underbrush. Even insects and some fungi species that dependent on elephant dung would struggle. The absence of these giants would send shockwaves through the ecosystem, leading to a silent collapse of interconnected lives.

And for humans, especially those living near the forest, the effects would be just as severe — diminished biodiversity along the way, unstable water systems, and greater risks of environmental degradation.

A Living Link Worth Saving
Sumatran elephants are not just a wonderful creature — they are also the living link and remarkable providers that hold entire ecosystems together. Every relationship they create, from the birds that follow their footsteps to the trees they help grow, is part of a nature balance. Protecting them means protecting tigers, hornbills, monkeys, insects, and even the heartbeat of the ecosystem as well. Let’s ensure these powerful yet peaceful giants continue their journey — not just for their own lives, but for all who share the forest with them.