A new study by an international team of scientists has found evidence that ancient elephant fossils recovered in the Kashmir Valley of South Asia were butchered by archaic human ancestors. This would have happened between 300,000 and 400,000 years ago, during the Middle Pleistocene epoch. As of now this is the oldest example of animal butchery ever found in India, predating the previous oldest example (from 8,000 BC) by a significant amount. The elephant fossils were unearthed in 2000 near the town of Pampore, Kashmir. It is believed there are at least three elephants represented in the fossil collection, all of which had died near the Jhelum River and were eventually buried deeply in sediment, which kept them well-preserved as they fossilized. Most of the bones found belonged to one large male specimen, and that included the one elephant skull that was recovered. Just a short distance away from the fossils many ancient stone tools were also excavated. At the time of this discovery, however, it wasn’t clear if this was related in any way to the presence of the animals, or if it was just a coincidence. Tracking Down the Mysterious Meat Eaters of Pleistocene India In 2019, a team of researchers from India and the United Kingdom worked together on a fresh study of the fossils, and were eventually able to identify them as belonging to a long-extinct species of giant elephant known as the Palaeoloxodon. This huge animal was twice as large as the modern African elephant, yet it lived so long ago that fossil finds of it have been rare. In fact, only one other Palaeoloxodon skeleton has ever been found, which is why it took so long to discover the true identity of the Pampore creatures. Read moreSection: NewsEvolution & Human OriginsHuman OriginsScienceRead Later