Video has surfaced showing an elephant using its trunk to pick up a child’s shoe, which had fallen into its enclosure, and gently return the shoe to the child.
Video has surfaced showing an elephant using its trunk to pick up a child’s shoe, which had fallen into its enclosure, and gently return the shoe to the child.
“He is confined. But not his spirits & compassion,” Susanta Nanda described on X. “Returns the shoe of a child which accidentally fell in its enclosure.”
He is confined. But not his spirits & compassion 😊😊
Returns the shoe of a child which accidentally fell in its enclosure.
(Free wild from cages) pic.twitter.com/odJyfIjM9Y
A baby elephant, left behind by its mother, was forced to defend itself when a group of lions took an interest in the vulnerable calf.
A baby elephant, left behind by its mother, was forced to fend for itself when a group of lions took an interest in the vulnerable calf.
The recent encounter occurred around 6:30 a.m. just north of Mopani Camp in Kruger National Park in South Africa.
Brent Schnupp, 55, from Virginia captured the rare scene and shared his story with Latest Sightings.
While on safari, Schnupp and his group saw a younger male and a female lion “enjoying a peaceful moment of coexistence.”
“However, the tranquility was short-lived,” Schnupp wrote. “Our attention was drawn to an adult female elephant emerging from the thicket ahead of us. She appeared to be in distress and was crossing the road with great haste. Little did we know at the time that she had left behind her vulnerable calf.
“The lions, sensing an opportunity, came onto the road and soon realized that the mother elephant had left her calf behind. The younger male lion took the lead in chasing the defenseless baby elephant. In contrast, the older male lion just stood and watched on, while the lioness also seemed uninterested.
“It was an emotional moment as the baby elephant stood in confusion, contemplating whether to make a break for it or confront the lions. The lions attempted [to attack] multiple times, but the baby elephant turned to face them every time.”
The brave ploy worked to discourage the lions, though you see this only once in the video.
“The little one displayed remarkable courage and bravery,” Schnupp wrote. “The lions, despite their numerical advantage and years of experience, couldn’t manage to get a grip on the calf. The standoff continued until the lions eventually gave up, seemingly convinced that they couldn’t overpower the young elephant.
“In my six years of visiting Kruger National Park, I’ve never witnessed anything quite like this. Even our seasoned guides from Leo Vantage were astonished, admitting that they had never seen lions chasing a baby elephant during their entire time in Kruger.”
The grainy footage, shared by Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service, shows the rhino and elephant posturing for battle, with the rhino mounting the first charge.
But the elephant, all the while figuring how to end the battle with a single maneuver, ultimately positioned its bulk onto the rhino and pinned the smaller animal with the help of its tusks.
The rhino, possibly gored, was subsequently able to flee.
As one follower noted, “If you ever questioned why are there different weight categories in wrestling/boxing, this is the reason. The Elephant just put his weight on the Rhino till the Rhino threw in the towel.”
It was not clear who captured the footage, but it began to circulate on social media this week.
A man in India was caught on video recently confronting a large elephant and seemingly offering prayer gestures with the confused animal just feet away.
A man in India was caught on video recently confronting a large elephant and seemingly offering prayer gestures with the confused animal just feet away.
Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service tweeted the accompanying footage on May 11 and alluded to the unpredictable nature of elephants when challenged in such a manner.
“Anymore proof that elephants are gentle giants?” Nanda wrote. “But wild can be wild anytime. Don’t try these idiotic antics.”
Anymore proof that elephants are gentle giants😊😊
But wild can be Wild anytime. Don’t try these idiotic antics 🙏🙏 pic.twitter.com/TpCFjcOFBO
The honking and traffic might have made a dangerous situation even more dangerous.
Elephants are revered in India and there are laws designed to protect them from harassment.
On May 12 Nanda updated his post to say that the man had been “arrested and taken into custody.”
Alluding to the District Forest Office division involved in the arrest, Nanda wrote: “Well done DFO Dharmapuri. This should serve as a deterrent to others.”
Recent footage showing an elephant charging a safari vehicle in India has raised a question about proper behavior while observing wildlife.
Recent footage showing an elephant charging a safari vehicle in India has raised a question about proper behavior while observing wildlife.
“If one is so afraid of seeing an elephant in a safari vehicle, why do they venture into the forest [and] yell so loudly?” Susanta Nanda of the Indian Forest Service asked this week on Twitter. “Behave as humans & be sober & humble in jungle safaris.”
The footage shared by Nanda (posted below) shows selfie-seeking tourists shrieking in what seems a mixture of fear and excitement as the elephant closes on their open-topped vehicle.
If one is so afraid of seeing an elephant in a safari vehicle, why do they venture into the forest & yell so loudly?
Behave as humans & be sober & humble in jungle safaris. pic.twitter.com/6EeLROSy94
As the elephant gains ground one tourist keeps her phone trained on the animal, just feet away. Moments later, the elephant backs off.
Asked by FTW Outdoors if he thought the shrieking caused the elephant to charge, Nanda replied: “Yes. To a large extent the yelling was the cause of it getting irritated.”
Comments beneath the post mostly placed blame on the tourists for not knowing better, but criticism also was directed at the driver for not keeping his passengers under control.
The most popular comment, however, reads: “The elephant says, this is my area and I’m the boss here.”
A 2-year-old elephant rescued as an orphan in Kenya is overcoming her shyness and was recently seen twirling her trunk as though ready to fly.
A 2-year-old elephant rescued as an orphan in Kenya is overcoming her shyness and on Friday was seen twirling her trunk as though ready to fly.
“Out in the forest this morning, Amali decided to embrace her inner helicopter!” The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust described in a video tweet. “Rescued just 6 months ago – a victim of drought – Amali was shy for a long time, but recently she’s really coming out of her shell.”
Out in the forest this morning, Amali decided to embrace her inner helicopter! Rescued just 6 mths ago – a victim of drought – Amali was shy for a long time, but recently she’s really coming out of her shell. Discover her story at https://t.co/COjCsMnSAnpic.twitter.com/j3DDS4enUh
— Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (@SheldrickTrust) April 28, 2023
Amali resides at the Omani Springs Reintegration Unit in the Kibwezi Forest. The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust uses this part of the forest to help orphaned elephants “move beyond the tragedies of their past and live as nature intended.”
Amali was rescued in the Tsavo Ecosystem last October and appears to be making tremendous progress.
Footage captured recently in South Africa’s Kruger National Park shows a playful elephant involving tourists in its mud-bath experience.
When you’re inside a vehicle watching an elephant enjoying a mud bath, it’s probably smart to keep your window rolled up.
The accompanying footage, captured in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, shows a young elephant using its trunk to toss mud and water onto its body.
Tourists are enjoying the close encounter but quickly become part of the experience when the elephant flings the wet stuff directly into their faces.
“Oh, man, I got soaked,” one of them says.
12:30pm
Herd of Elephant stationary
“An amazing experience with an elephant bull which came up to drink water right next to us and then gave himself, and us, a mud bath.”
Kgama Drive, 1.5km from Ntswe Drive junction
5/5
Tinged by Heinrich pic.twitter.com/P07mdAaqI9
An orphaned elephant calf discovered recently that nagging its foster mom can involve unpleasant consequences.
An orphaned elephant calf discovered recently that nagging its foster mom can bring about unpleasant consequences.
The accompanying footage, shared Wednesday by Wild is Life, shows the baby male elephant, Elliot, trying to wake mom to play, and reacting to her not-so-subtle hint to leave her alone.
“Watch until the end – with sound on,” Wild is Life advised followers on Facebook. “Kadiki has a very clever way to tell Elliot once she’s had enough.”
Kadiki is the 3-year-old foster mom. Elliot, only a few weeks old, is the latest orphaned elephant to arrive at the Wild is Life Panda Masuie Elephant Release Project in Zimbabwe.
Elliot is currently in good health at the WIL Zimbabwe Elephant Nursery (ZEN) in Harare, which cares for young orphaned elephants. Elliot shares a stable with Kadiki and the two have developed a close bond.
“Elliot is drinking voraciously—consuming 21 liters a day of special neonate milk formula—and he is partial to having fun by chasing ducks and other large birds,” WIL ZEN founder Roxy Danckwerts told the IFAW. “He has so much energy, and it’s a joy to see such a tiny elephant having such a good time.”
The WIL ZEN nursery has rescued more than 50 orphaned elephants. At present, 30 elephants are undergoing rehabilitation at the Panda Masuie facility, and 12 are close to being released back in to the wild.
Jack Russell Terriers are said to be tough, tenacious and fearless, and one name Pepper proved it when confronted by an elephant.
Jack Russell Terriers are said to be tough, tenacious and fearless, and one named Pepper proved it when it confronted an elephant approaching a swimming pool in its owner’s backyard in Mfuwe, Zambia.
Pepper, described by its owner Nathalie as “cheeky,” barked its protest to the elephant, ran outside, barked some more and charged the elephant, causing the young elephant to back off and trumpet.
Nathalie posted footage of the encounter on Instagram.
Nathalie told Storyful that elephants frequently visit her area in the dry season, and that this one elephant “decided to check the pool as a digestive, it seems.”
“Not great for the animal, and Pepper thought the same,” Nathalie added.
Incidentally, the elephants have a better place for drinking and taking a bath. There’s a lagoon just beyond the backyard.
Footage showing a TV reporter trying to maintain his composure as a young elephant teased him with its trunk is reminiscent of a famous Yellowstone broadcast involving bison.
Footage showing a TV reporter trying to maintain his composure as a young elephant teased him with its trunk has gone viral, largely because of the man’s reaction when the elephant tickled his nose.
The scene was somewhat reminiscent of a 2020 incident in which a U.S.-based reporter gained notoriety for his “I ain’t messing with you” response during an encounter with bison in Yellowstone National Park.
Alvin Kaunda, an intern for Kenya Broadcasting Corporation, is shown in the top video succumbing to the nosy elephant and bursting into laughter after enough had become enough.
“I wanted a very nice background with the elephants,” Kaunda, who was raising awareness about the plight of orphaned elephants, told Ghetto Radio Nairobi. “I’d kept my distance, but I was so focused and didn’t even realize they were getting close. I felt the ticklish trunk but just tried to keep my cool. It wasn’t normal, but I liked the experience.”
Broxton’s wary response is largely what propelled the video to a viewership of more than 15 million.
He was about to begin his broadcast when he spotted bison approaching from his right. Bison can weigh as much as 2,000 pounds; Broxton wanted no part of their close company.
Still on camera, he says, “Oh my god, oh my god.” Then, “I ain’t messing with you, oh… no” as he walks out of frame toward the safety of his vehicle.
His tweet was a fun distraction from news related to the growing COVID-19 pandemic.
It was also appreciated by Yellowstone National Park, which advised in the comments: “If you use the same common sense in national parks that [Deion] does in this clip you’re gonna have a good time.”
