Wednesday, 23 April 2014

Drunken elephants caught on camera stumbling around

Here's what elephants look like after one too many... — Marula fruit ferments after ripening on the floor and can be intoxicating if eaten in large quantities (Picture: Ross Couper & Singita)

Young elephants, drunk off fermented marula fruit, were caught stumbling over their siblings as they were too inebriated to stay upright.
Ross Couper, a field guide at Singita Kruger National Park in South Africa, witnessed the elephants playing around.
‘We watched in awe because the youngsters definitely seemed to display signs of being rather tipsy,’ he said.

Surrounded by African myth, the marula fruit - described as sweet, tart and refreshing, is thought to have an intoxicating effect on large mammals when enormous quantities of the ripened, fallen fermenting fruit are consumed. This year saw an abundance of the fruit falling to the ground, proving an irresistible treat for a group of young elephants making their way across the South African plains. Ross Couper, a field guide at Singita Kruger National Park, witnessed a herd move through the bush, feeding on the fruit strewn across the ground, the older and wiser elephants teaching the young what to eat. Having consumed an immense quantity of fruit throughout their journey, the youngsters began to act rather strangely, displaying signs of being tipsy as they stumbled around and fell over their siblings. While it is speculated that the behavior may be a result of eating beetle pupae that live in the bark of marula trees or due to the prized nature of the fruit causing bull elephants to protect their food in any way possible, these images captured by Ross at Singita Sabi Sand certainly give the impression these young elephants have enjoyed one too many marula fruit cocktails. — The siblings were captured by South African field guild Ross Couper and his camera (Picture: Ross Couper & Singita)

Marula fruit is alleged to have an intoxicating effect once it has fallen and ripened on the ground.
There are other theories that the elephants’ behaviour is due to eating beetle pupae that resides in marula trees.
Less friendly instances have been recorded of drunken elephants damaging homes and crops after consuming alcoholic liquids or fruits.
The small village of Dumurkota in Eastern India experienced such destructive behaviour in 2012, when a gang of elephants drank more than 500 litres of home brewed mahua alcohol and knocked down three houses and ruined large quantities of crops whilst looking for more hooch.

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Wednesday, 23 April 2014