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Hilarious Safari Moment: Elephant Snatches Dad’s Hat!

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Author Josie Messeter

elephant steals hat
Image by arkmediauk via YouTube

Elephants are almost as cheeky as they are big – this dad falls victim to an elephant prank and gets his hat stolen.

Introduction

Image by arkmediauk via YouTube

In Addo Elephant Park, South Africa, an elephant approached a safari vehicle to say hi and be a little cheeky.

Startling Encounter

Image by arkmediauk via YouTube

It was startling for the group to see an elephant come so close. It’s important to remember that wild animals can be unpredictable. Even elephants.

Cheeky Ellie

Image by arkmediauk via YouTube

Luckily for the group, the elephant just wanted to have some fun and knocked off the hat of one of the visitors!

Just a Little Fun

Image by arkmediauk via YouTube

No one was hurt, and the gentleman managed to keep hold of his hat too.

How Sensitive Is an Elephant’s Trunk?

African bush elephant
Elephants – African bush elephants in Matetsi Safari Area, Zimbabwe . Image via Charles J. Sharp, CC BY-SA 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

The elephant’s trunk is probably the most “elephant” thing about an elephant – can you even image one without a trunk? 

A trunk amazing consists of over 40,000 muscles – no wonder it’s extraordinarily sensitive and dexterous. Elephants can detect sizes, shapes, and the textures of objects, making it possible for them to perform delicate tasks like stealing a hat. 

A Trunc-Tastic Tool

Elephant
Elephant showing off their trunk. Image by Davide Clode via Unsplash

An elephant basically needs its trunk for everything that they do in order to survive. There’s basically no thing that its fantastic trunk can’t do. 

The trunk serves as a multi-tool for elephants, essential for breathing, smelling, touching, grasping, and producing sound. As their most versatile organ, it helps them to feed by picking up food, which can range from heavy fruit to tiny blades of grass. 

Is It Safe to Travel In an Open-Roof Safari Jeep?

Elephant walking in grass
Elephant walking in the long grass. Image Via Depositphotos

Traveling in an open-roof safari jeep allows for unobstructed views and close encounters with wildlife, which can be thrilling – and is after all the purpose of a safari. At the same time, it’s not entirely risk-free. Elephants are massive animals, and hat this elephant been in an angry mood it could’ve caused some serious harm. 

Elephants in Musth

African elephant
African elephant in musth. You can tell he’s in musth by the liquid (temporin) being secreted from the temporal glands in his face. Bernard DUPONT from FRANCE, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Elephant bulls are particularly aggressive when in a state called “musth.”

Musth is a periodic condition marked by heightened aggression and elevated testosterone levels. During musth, males experience swollen temporal glands and continuously secrete a thick, tar-like fluid. This state enhances their reproductive success by making them more dominant and attractive to females.

Aggressiveness

African Elephant
African Elephant spraying sand onto its back. Image by Harvey Sapir on Pexels

The hormonal surge that characterizes musth leads to increased sexual activity and dominant behavior, enabling the male to compete more effectively for mates and assert dominance over other males.

Wrapping Up

elephant
Lone African Elephant walking over a grassland. Image by Filip Olsok via Pexels

Elephants are the largest land animals to walk on Earth, and while they demand respect at all times, cute videos like this one remind us what cheeky creatures they can be.

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