We all get sugar cravings from time to time. Whether you like a savory ice cream cone or your favorite chocolate bar, there’s nothing like a sweet treat. Elephants love bananas and sugar cane, and often destroy local farmers’ fields to feast on!
A surprised tourist on a Thai road has filmed a video of a large elephant collecting sugar cane from oncoming traffic, causing traffic jams. In the video, the elephant can be seen walking into the road and blocking traffic so it can take sugar cane from the back of passing trucks. Truck drivers traveling on Chachoengsao Highway started to slow down due to fear of elephants.
Auan-tia is a baby elephant who has spent most of his life in the local sanctuary. The vehicle had no choice but to slow down and allow the baby elephant to continue investigating.
He came to a truck with an unsealed top and chose to take the fortune. This beautiful animal caused a total traffic jam in the process. What else can you do but sit in awe and watch this giant creature find his favorite treat?
Witnesses reported that the elephant attempted to steal from more than a dozen different vehicles in the two hours before returning to the bush. No one dared approach him and forced him back into the forest because he was an elephant. Cars passed him at a snail’s pace, waiting in long lines.
The gigantic Auan-tia rummaged for several minutes through every truck in the caravan brought in from nearby farms. He snatched some food after inspecting one car, then stopped the next car along the way and did the same. His lunch that day was sugar cane and cassava.
After eating, the elephant went back to the woods with difficulty. Wildlife officials, on the other hand, warned drivers to be careful of the creatures. Elephants in this area are gentle and rarely harm anyone. He just wanted to find something to eat.
Elephants are common on the road, so truckers get used to them and take extra precautions, but this is not so common, where elephants stop a large number of cars and refuse to go.
It’s always a joy to see wholesome interactions between humans and wildlife. It’s safe to say that these truck drivers have plenty of stories to tell their families when they go home. Large animals are very cute, as you can see from the nearly 62 million views on this video. This is sure to make you grin when you watch it.
I am broadly interested in how human activities influence the ability of wildlife to persist in the modified environments that we create.
Specifically, my research investigates how the configuration and composition of landscapes influence the movement and population dynamics of forest birds. Both natural and human-derived fragmenting of habitat can influence where birds settle, how they access the resources they need to survive and reproduce, and these factors in turn affect population demographics. Most recently, I have been studying the ability of individuals to move through and utilize forested areas which have been modified through timber harvest as they seek out resources for the breeding and postfledging phases. As well I am working in collaboration with Parks Canada scientists to examine in the influence of high density moose populations on forest bird communities in Gros Morne National Park. Many of my projects are conducted in collaboration or consultation with representatives of industry and government agencies, seeking to improve the management and sustainability of natural resource extraction.
