Are These Elephants Drunk or Just Clumsy?

Have you ever heard of the term “drunk elephant”? If you’re into beauty, you likely have—as it’s actually the name of a skincare brand. However, if you’ve ever witnessed elephants playfully interacting with one another, you also might have momentarily questioned whether they were drunk. While it might seem silly, sometimes, elephants truly do appear to be intoxicated. 

For example, this particular video shows a group of elephants stumbling around. In the clip, the animals throw themselves onto the ground in the middle of a road. It even looks like one of them can barely find its footing to get back up. The others simply imitate each other as if in pure fun. The hilarious display makes it seem like they’re wasted. But is that really the case, or are they just being their goofy selves?

The Myth of the Drunken Elephant

There is an old myth that elephants can get intoxicated by eating the fruit of the marula tree. Many people have claimed that elephants eat the rotting, fermented fruit that falls to the ground, believing this is enough to make the animals drunk.

However, countless experts have debunked this theory. For example, in this old National Geographic article, Steve Morris, who used to be a biologist at the University of Bristol in England before tragically passing away in 2009, explained that elephants were unlikely to consume rotting fruit. He explained that elephants will actually knock over marula trees to access ripe fruit directly from the source, rather than eating the rotten fruit on the ground.

Even if an elephant did eat marula fruit, it likely wouldn’t choose fully fermented fruit, nor would it consume enough to become intoxicated. Despite this myth being disproved, many people have still witnessed elephants seemingly acting drunk, as seen in the video above. Does this mean they actually become intoxicated? Of course not. However, they certainly can appear that way when indulging their playful side.

Why Do Elephants Appear Drunk? 

Elephants are naturally clumsy and highly social animals. When they gather together, their playful behavior can make them appear drunk. To some observers, they might resemble a group of friends stumbling home from a bar, but in reality, they are high on life, not under the influence of any substance. This is common elephant behavior and does not mean they have consumed any intoxicating fruit or beverage. They are simply being their playful, adorable selves.