Baby Elephant Scratches Itchy Body Parts With Real Determination

One of the great thrills of going on a safari in the African wild is the searching and finding of wild animals in their natural environment. This is a great opportunity for anyone to come face to face with some of the continent’s most unique wildlife species. There are also many great photographic opportunities to create those lifetime memories. Once photos are taken, most people would rush off in search of the next sighting. The experience of a safari can be enhanced even more when people are prepared to spend a little more time with the animals they find. When spending extra time watching the animals, you will start to notice the different types of behaviors of the animals roaming their natural habitats. It is usually during this time that one might see some animals behaving in the most fascinating, funny or bizarre ways. One species of wildlife that almost never fail to entertain safari goers with their behavior is the African elephant. Not only are they the largest land mammals on this planet, elephants are also among the most intelligent. This is evident in the great variety of intriguing behaviors displayed by these large creatures. On a recent safari in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, we decided to spend time with a small herd of elephants.

Among the adult elephants was one baby elephant that quickly got everyone’s attention. Suddenly we were confused for a few seconds by the baby elephant’s awkward looking behavior and body movements. Soon we realized what was going on. This baby elephant had an itchy body that needed a decent scratch. The little elephant cleverly found a rock at just the right height and started off with his stomach. Standing with its front legs stretched out over the rock, the baby elephant moved back and forth, scratching its itchy belly on the rock. This was really funny to watch. We then noticed that the baby elephant had more than just an itchy belly. There were other body parts that also needed a good scratch. The baby elephant looked determined to get the job done and pushed its mother out the way before sitting down on the rock. The next moment the baby elephant adamantly started moving its backside from side to side, vigorously scratching its itchy bum. This was even more hilarious to watch and we could see this baby elephant was determined to get rid of its great itch. Finally, there was relief and the little elephant continued the journey with the rest of the herd. In the end it paid off to spend a little more time with the elephants, getting to see this baby elephant finding an amusing but effective manner to get rid of the itch on his body parts.