Elephants are highly intelligent creatures

They have the largest brain of any land animal.
Elephants have three times as many neurons as humans.
This explains why they demonstrate a high lead of intelligence.
They have a very large and highly complex neocrtex a trait also shared by humans, other opes dolphins.

Elephants can tell the difference between human languages and recognize language that belong to people with a history of hurting elephants. If they hear a language from someone who is more likely to pose a threat the elephants switch into defensive mode.

Elephants also know when to come to humans for help and can find us even over long distances.

Elephants also exhibit complex social behavior. Their families can only be separate by death or capture because elephants are so closely knit and highly matriarchal. A family can be devastated by the death of another. A mother whose calf just died will distance herself from the group to grieve.

Elephants bury dead and mourn them after wards they also bury the remains of other animals.
Elephants have been observed comforting one another when distressed, they stroke one another with their trunks and emit small chirps. 

 Elephants can also understand human pointing without any training.
Baby elephants suck their trunks for comfort just like human baby suck their thumb.

Elephants often form close bonds with companions and can recognize them even after long periods of separation. Elephants have been known to use sticks to scratch themselves during an intelligence test employing food rewards.

Elephants found shortcuts that not even the researchers had thought of, they are also excellent swimmers they swim submerged underwater using their trunks as snorkels. African elephants have been recorded swimming 48 km (30mi) they can swim 6 hours nonstop then rest without sinking.