We can barely speak our native language, English, most days of the week, so we are pretty ashamed to learn that an elephant in South Korea has learned how to speak Korean.
Koshik, the Indian elephant at the Everland Zoo, has learned how to say everyday words like “sit down,” “no,” “lie down,” “good,” and “hello,” words he probably heard everyday, especially for a five-year period when he was the only elephant at the zoo reports the Mirror.
Watch the video HERE.
An elephant communication expert named Angela Stoeger said that Koshik has the ability to mimic the two main components of human speech: pitch and timbre.
“He accurately imitates human formats as well as the voice pitch of his trainers,” said Stoeger. “This is remarkable considering the huge size, the long vocal tract, and other anatomical differences between an elephant and a human.
With the popularity of Korean pop, what’s next? A dancing elephant singing Psy’s “Gangnam Style?” Ummm, yes please. That way we’ll have clear signs that the world is ending.
–Nadia Noir, CBS Radio Los Angeles