The elephant become filmed with the aid of Vinay Kumar, Assistant Director with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS)-India Program, at some point of a go to with WCS area personnel to camera-trap locations in Nagarahole National Park, as a part of a long-time period venture to look at tigers and their prey.
As they travelled the woodland, they got here upon this elephant showing uncommon behaviour.
The video suggests the elephant selecting up ash with its trunk, remaining its mouth and blowing it back out in a cloud of smoke.
“I trust the elephant may were looking to ingest wood charcoal,” stated Dr Varun Goswami, WCS India scientist and elephant biologist. “She seemed to be choosing up pieces from the woodland ground, blowing away the ash that got here together with it, and ingesting the rest.”
Charcoal has toxin-binding properties that can provide medicinal fee, the WCS explained in a media launch. Charcoal also can serve as a laxative, thereby doubling its utility for animals that devour it after forest fires, lightning strikes, or managed burns.
The WCS – India Program evokes and nurtures superb attitudes towards nature in people via its clinical and conservation endeavours. Among them is supplying crucial insights into the possibilities and challenges of conserving Asian elephants during India and beyond.