A video clip of a wild elephant in India appearing to blow out ash from a fire in its mouth has stumped wildlife experts around the world
Vinay Kumar, a scientist belonging to the Wildlife Conservation Society, filmed the 48-second video during a work trip to Nagarhole forest in Karnataka state in April 2016.
He told the BBC that he had not released the video until now because he did not “quite realise its importance”.
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Kumar said he and his team were visiting the forest early in the morning to monitor camera traps set up to capture images of tigers. He spotted the female elephant barely 50m (164ft) away and began filming with his point-and-shoot camera.
The clip was then shared to YouTube by the WCS and shows the elephant picking up something from the forest floor, closing its mouth, and exhaling a large amount of smoke.
“What we saw that day almost appeared as though the elephant was smoking - she would draw up a trunk full of ash close to her mouth and blow it out in a puff of smoke!” Kumar said.
Dr. Varun Goswami, a WCS India scientist and elephant biologist, said the animal may have been trying to ingest wood charcoal.
“She appeared to be picking up pieces from the forest floor, blowing away the ash that came along with it, and consuming the rest.”
According to the WCS “charcoal has toxin-binding properties that may provide medicinal value”, reports the Daily Telegraph. “It can also serve as a laxative, thereby doubling its utility for animals that consume it after forest fires, lightning strikes, or controlled burns.”
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