Elephants (Elephas maximus)
Videos
See, how easy it is to identify elephants. We will put more here for your pleasure and your training as wildlife experts. Next time you come to a national park, you will notice the elephant features and know they come with very different personalities.
Zidane forever
Let’s start with football. In this 3 min. 54 s. video, Zidane is filmed playing like mad (for an elephant), with a tyre. We put football “TV” comments to make it funny but when Shanti Puyravaud the person behind this video, filmed, she could not help giggling. At 2 mins. 30 s., Zidane is on the ground! Notice that the elephant are not disturbed by people. There is no noise except that of birds and of course Shanti’s laughter. It is impossible to get these exquisite moments if animals are disturbed. Author: Shanti Puyravaud.
Why wild elephants should not be fed
This 2 min. 54 s. video shows an injured Rivaldo being treated and fed by Nigel Otter, Worldwide Veterinary Services and the Tamil Nadu Forest Department. Rivaldo was fed with fruits for years out of “generosity”. Then this practice became a source of entertainment for tourists who started feeding the elephant. Rivaldo got habituated to humans and probably, one day, put his trunk in someone’s window or verandah, and a frightened human cut his trunk with a machete. Rivaldo almost lost his life and it is a miracle he survived thanks to antibiotics and people who looked after him for months. Feeding wild animal is forbidden. You can realize why: it hurts and sometimes kills them.
No swim for baby
This 1 min. 10 s video shows a group females with babies. A female is having an enjoyable time in the Sigur River during the monsoon. A baby tries to go to the water, but for some reason, another female, maybe the mother, judges that the river is not safe. She pushes the baby away repetitively. Elephant females are very protective of babies and give constant attention days and nights.
Jungle siesta
In this 2 mins. 29 s. video, Kaka takes a nap while Benito continues eating in the vicinity. We don’t show the entire siesta! Remember, if you walk in the jungle sometimes and you see a moving rock, it may be an elephant waking up. The best would be not to step on it! Author: Shanti Puyravaud.