[caption id="attachment_170764" align="alignleft" width="300"]
A video grab of a wild elephant exhaling smoke inside the Nagarahole National Park in Bangalaore.[/caption]
Dimapur, March 26 (EMN): A video of a wild Asian elephant seemingly exhaling a considerable plume of smoke in Karnataka’s Nagarahole National Park has left scientists and wildlife experts in a cloud of confusion –while sending social media into frenzy.
The video, said to be captured in April 2016, was shared on YouTube by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), India Program. A press release from the WCS on Monday stated that the video provides new insights into wild elephant behaviour.
“Our colleague Vinay Kumar, assistant director (at WCS) has captured a video of a wild Asian elephant seemingly ‘smoking’, as it appears to ingest charcoal and blows out the ashes,” it informed. According to the WCS, this is the first known video-documentation of a wild elephant exhibiting such behaviour and thus has ‘scientists and experts puzzled.’
An elephant biologist and senior scientist with the WCS India Program, Dr. Varun R Goswami has suggested that the elephant was ‘most probably trying to ingest wood charcoal as she appeared to be picking up something from the burnt forest floor, blowing away the ash that came along with it in her trunk, and consuming the rest.’
“Charcoal has well recognised toxin-binding properties, and although it may not have much nutritional content, wild animals may be attracted to it for this medicinal value. Charcoal can also serve as a laxative, thereby doubling its utility for animals that consume it after forest fires, lightning strikes, or controlled burns,” it informed.
The video, according to the WCS, has been shared extensively by international news agencies/publications including the National Geographic, Fox News, Science Magazine, and going viral on digital media platforms garnering millions of views. The video can be watched at this link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egf9flC-nes
