The herd of big boys appeared to have had too much to drink! Their hilarious behaviour gave everyone quite a show in the incredible sighting, filmed by Michael Botes.
Watch The Sighting:
The elephants bumped into each other and fell to the ground, lying on their sides as though they were completely intoxicated.
Elephants Emerge In An “Intoxicated” State
The herd of elephants, including a calf, staggered into the open road at the reserve, behaving quite strangely.
Some swayed as they walked. Others seemed to battle to get up after falling.
One of the elephants was on its knees and then tried to use its trunk as leverage to get up; however, with little success. It then tried to straighten its knees, falling to the side as it did so.
There appeared to be no “Designated Driver” in sight. The herd seemed to be caught in the throes of drunkenness.
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Many Reasons For ‘Drunkenness’ In Elephants
Elephants can display what appears to be drunken behaviour due to several possible causes.
One of the reasons for this is the consumption of fermented fruit. Elephants are known to eat large quantities of ripe or overripe fruits such as marula, which can naturally ferment and produce alcohol.
It is believed that ingesting enough of this fermented fruit could potentially lead to mild intoxication. However, this theory is controversial. Many scientists argue that the alcohol concentration in fermented fruit is not high enough to affect an animal as large as an elephant.
A key study published in Physiological and Biochemical Zoology in 2006 concluded that it would be highly unlikely for elephants to become drunk from marula alone, as they would need to consume about 27 litres of 7% alcohol!
Additionally, elephants have large livers and highly efficient metabolic systems, which can rapidly break down alcohol and similar compounds, making natural intoxication from fruit improbable under normal circumstances.
Another explanation for seemingly drunken behavior in elephants is the consumption of toxic plants or fungi.
Certain flora contain neurotoxic or psychoactive compounds that can affect an elephant’s nervous system, leading to behaviours like swaying, stumbling, or disorientation.
These effects may mimic intoxication but are actually due to chemical toxicity, such as from alkaloid-containing plants or spoiled, mouldy food.
Cause Of Drunken Behaviour Remains Unclear
However, it remains unclear what got hold of this herd of elephants to cause them to behave in such a strange manner!
Maybe their unusual behaviour can be traced to quite simple causes, like excitement, playful movements, or reactions to certain environmental stimuli, such as heat or stress.
Whatever the reason, these ellies created quite a stir with their awkward, clumsy antics! They won’t be the only herd of elephants to act in this strange way. However, they left a lasting impression on spectators.
Elephants are usually majestic, steady creatures. This drunken, wobbly behaviour took game viewers by surprise and won’t be forgotten for a long time to come.