Baby elephant tries to drink, using its trunk

Submitted by Ranger Tales on Tue, 08/09/2009 - 12:11pm.

I found that video of the baby elephant trying to drink at the waterhole, on today’s front page, priceless, not to mention thoroughly entertaining. I imagine Gary Larson ( I think that’s his name), the author of The Far Side humour, would have a field day with some of this stuff. In this video we are clearly shown by the baby elephant how “not to use” your trunk / how incapable it is at using it. A few annoyingly unsuccessful attempts are made to take water up through the trunk, followed by a couple of head shakes and a movement of the empty trunk up to the mouth. Eventually he/she goes down on all fours and drinks with its mouth.

It’s amazing to think that one day this elephant will be able to use this astonishingly dexterous, yet also phenomenally powerful appendage, to pick up a small fruit or push down a tree.

Below is a picture of the baby getting out of the water after his "drink"- I think we could give him full marks for being persistant- even if it wasnt with his trunk.