NEW DELHI: A peculiar video of a wild elephant blowing out what seems to be plumes of smoke in Karnataka’s Nagarhole forest has left flora and fauna fanatics baffled.
The “smoking” elephant video, which has since long past viral, used to be shot by a Wildlife Conservation Society (India) scientist when he and his crew were visiting the forest for a mission on long run monitoring of tiger and prey populations.
The 48-second clip displays the elephant selecting up something from the forest flooring, drinking it and puffing out smoke. The animal, it grew to become out, used to be blowing off ash prior to it seems that consuming wood charcoal within the just lately burnt patch of forest, giving the influence that it used to be smoking.
“It’s the first-ever visible documentation of such behaviour by an elephant,” stated Vinay Kumar, assistant director at WCS, who shot the video. Kumar informed TOI that the video used to be shot within the morning nearly two years ago. “We discovered the female elephant at the fringe of the forest... I just omit about it for some time,” he added.
Why an elephant would eat charcoal, which has no meals worth, has ended in speculation among flora and fauna scientists. According to Varun R Goswami, an elephant biologist at WCS India, charcoal has smartly recognised toxin-binding homes, and even supposing it may not have much nutritional content, animals may be attracted to it for this medicinal worth.
It can also function a laxative, thereby doubling its utility for animals that eat it after forest fires, lightning moves, or managed burns, Goswami stated.
“Charcoal ash has historically been used for dental hygiene in India. After the video went round, there used to be additionally some speculation that the elephant used to be trying to cure a toothache,” Kumar stated.
Kumar stated the sight of the jumbo puffing away had startled him and his crew.
(With inputs from Bengaluru)
The “smoking” elephant video, which has since long past viral, used to be shot by a Wildlife Conservation Society (India) scientist when he and his crew were visiting the forest for a mission on long run monitoring of tiger and prey populations.
The 48-second clip displays the elephant selecting up something from the forest flooring, drinking it and puffing out smoke. The animal, it grew to become out, used to be blowing off ash prior to it seems that consuming wood charcoal within the just lately burnt patch of forest, giving the influence that it used to be smoking.
'Smoking' elephant from Nagarahole National Park baffles experts international
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“It’s the first-ever visible documentation of such behaviour by an elephant,” stated Vinay Kumar, assistant director at WCS, who shot the video. Kumar informed TOI that the video used to be shot within the morning nearly two years ago. “We discovered the female elephant at the fringe of the forest... I just omit about it for some time,” he added.
Why an elephant would eat charcoal, which has no meals worth, has ended in speculation among flora and fauna scientists. According to Varun R Goswami, an elephant biologist at WCS India, charcoal has smartly recognised toxin-binding homes, and even supposing it may not have much nutritional content, animals may be attracted to it for this medicinal worth.
It can also function a laxative, thereby doubling its utility for animals that eat it after forest fires, lightning moves, or managed burns, Goswami stated.
“Charcoal ash has historically been used for dental hygiene in India. After the video went round, there used to be additionally some speculation that the elephant used to be trying to cure a toothache,” Kumar stated.
Kumar stated the sight of the jumbo puffing away had startled him and his crew.
(With inputs from Bengaluru)
Smoking jumbo clip spreads like wildfire
![Smoking jumbo clip spreads like wildfire]()
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March 27, 2018
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