WATCH Elephant Caught ‘Smoking’ In The Forest

An elephant in India has been caught on video appearing to be smoking!

The elephant was filmed by Vinay Kumar, Assistant Director with the Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS)-India Program, during a visit with WCS field staff to camera-trap locations in Nagarahole National Park, as part of a long-term project to study tigers and their prey.

As they travelled the forest, they came upon this elephant displaying unusual behaviour.

The video shows the elephant picking up ash with its trunk, closing its mouth and blowing it back out in a cloud of smoke.

“I believe the elephant may have been trying to ingest wood charcoal,” said Dr Varun Goswami, WCS India scientist and elephant biologist. “She appeared to be picking up pieces from the forest floor, blowing away the ash that came along with it, and consuming the rest.”

Charcoal has toxin-binding properties that may provide medicinal value, the WCS explained in a media release. Charcoal can also serve as a laxative, thereby doubling its utility for animals that consume it after forest fires, lightning strikes, or controlled burns.

WATCH Elephant Smoking in a Forest

The WCS – India Program inspires and nurtures positive attitudes toward nature in people through its scientific and conservation endeavours. Among them is providing important insights into the opportunities and challenges of conserving Asian elephants throughout India and beyond.