A young
elephant places the tip of the trunk in the mother's mouth, which is a
way of expressing and intensifying the social bond.
If
young elephants are allowed to interact freely, they engage in plays
that are beneficial for their development both physically and mentally.
Trunk
wrestling is one of the popular games among young elephants.
Pushing
each other is another popular game among the young. If a young elephant
trusts people, he will often try to play the same game with his human
friends. However, it is important not to encourage the elephant to play
this with people, no matter cute it may feel with a young elephant, as
forming a habit of playing this game with people may lead to accidents
once the elephant grows bigger.
In a natural environment, a young elephant is cared by the mother and a number of "aunts", other grown-up female members of the same family group, usually related to the mother. Such bonds within a group can also be formed between non-relatives, as often is the case in captivity. This half-year-old elephant lives with his biological mother and non-related "aunts", all of which are previously mistreated working elephants and were rescued by the Elephant Nature Park in Thailand.
An
elephant throws dust on himself to cool down on a hot day.
Spraying
some trunkfuls of water feels even better on a hot day. For tourists,
this provides an opportunity for a memorable shower.
The
curiosity of young elephants extends to anything novel, including a
handheld video camera.
A trunk
is almost as versatile as a human hand. In the beginning of training
with food treats, like these bundles of rice and grass called kuchhi in
Nepal, the trainer sometimes needs to watch out for attempts at
self-service.