For two decades, a group of wild African elephants has been watched over, studied and protected by their own guardian angel: an extraordinary American scientist named Andrea Turkalo. Turkalo’s own story is pretty amazing, but not nearly as compelling as the insights into elephant behavior her research has revealed, especially when it comes to “the secret language of elephants.”

60 Minutes’ Bob Simon Reports

On Research To Create An Elephant “Dictionary”

The Sangha River flows through the Congo Basin along the border between Cameroon and the Central African Republic in the second largest rain forest on Earth. This remote corner of the world is the place Andrea Turkalo, a field biologist, lives in a compound that she and a group of Pygmies built from scratch. The Pygmies help her run the place. Commuting to her job is a hike. The last couple of miles took us through some interesting terrain.

Okay, now we’re gonna enter the forest. And the advice I like to give everyone at this point is to stick together

, Turkalo told 60 Minutes correspondent Bob Simon.

If we happen to run into elephant, we should all stay together and move in the same direction so we don’t confuse them.

(The video doesn’t work anymore)