A playful baby elephant at South Africa’s Kruger National Park made an endearing attempt to chase a flock of birds, and the charming scene was caught on video.
The calf was recorded on the H3 road near the Berg-en-Dal rest camp, with the footage later shared on the Kruger Sightings YouTube channel, a platform that highlights moments of wildlife spontaneity.
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In the video, the young elephant is seen looking up as swallows swoop low around it, flying in various directions.
Determined to confront them, the calf dips its head and eagerly charges forward, excitedly swinging its trunk.
After a brief pause, it picks up speed again, trotting along the road while the birds chirp and scatter out of its path.
The calf seems to gain confidence, turning away as if it’s successfully driven the birds off. But spotting another swallow nearby, the playful elephant quickly resumes its game, delightedly charging towards it.
It then begins to spin in circles, momentarily wandering off to the grassy edges on either side of the road before eventually rejoining the rest of the herd.
Kruger Sightings described the scene as “a tiny newborn elephant trying to chase away the low-flying swallows around him.”
According to a 2005 census, Kruger National Park is home to over 12,000 elephants, with nearly 11,000 living within breeding herds, underscoring the park’s thriving elephant population.
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