Watch as an Elephant Toying With a Tiny Baby Goes Too Far and Gets Reprimanded by Its Mother

Key Points

• Just when we thought baby animals couldn’t be more adorable, we came across the video below of this baby elephant.
• This little baby elephant is no match for this enormous bull who pushes his giant trunk up against the back of the calf.
• Just as he goes in for another push, the mother elephant runs up alongside the bull and gives him a little nudge on the side to let him know he needs to stop.

Watch the Behavior of the Elephants in This Video:

Here’s the Story:

On a hot afternoon, a baby elephant is seen resting on the ground. Seemingly wiped out from whatever journey his herd just finished. Out of nowhere, a large bull (male) elephant comes and starts to disturb his rest.

This little baby elephant, a calf, is no match for this enormous bull. He pushes his giant trunk up against the back of the calf, and he is automatically woken up and now struggling to get up because the elephant is pushing him around. 

The bull elephant then kicks him with his giant foot, and the baby is almost thrown up on his feet in one swift motion. Barely on his feet, the bull pushes him over with his trunk, and the baby is thrown to the ground. This bull elephant is quickly turning into a bully.

Knocked over, the baby elephant is trying to catch his balance so he can get away. But the male elephant is directly behind him, shoving him with his trunk. Just as he goes in for another push, the mother elephant runs up alongside the bull. Even though she is no match for him in size, she gives him a little nudge on the side to let him know he needs to stop.

The bull and mother elephant walk away from the baby, almost as if to have a side argument on their own. The video below stays with the baby, who is now up on his feet looking around like, “What did I ever do?” 

The mother elephant must have lost that fight because the bull returns in the video frame and goes directly toward the baby elephant. He continues pushing him along as his little legs try to escape the bully. Just as the baby is getting further away, the bull elephant picks up the baby by his trunk and tosses him in the air, and he falls to the ground.

Two female elephants from the herd come rushing in and lock the baby elephant between them. They have had enough of this bully messing with the baby elephant. 

What is a Bull Elephant?

A bull elephant is another name to refer to a male elephant. These male elephants’ physiques are like none other in the wild animal kingdom. They stand 9-10 feet tall and weigh over 13,000 pounds!

Bulls can be quite intimidating, even for other members of the elephant herd. Most other elephants are under 12 feet tall and weigh less than 12,000 pounds. 

Baby Elephant Facts

Just when we thought baby animals couldn’t be more adorable, we came across the video below of this baby elephant. Baby elephants, called calves, are born weighing 200 pounds. For measure, a human baby is typically born at 7.5 pounds. 

Even with this large weight for a baby, he is still very much a baby with respect to survival. He will depend on his mother for the first few years of his life. 

Female elephants are pregnant for 22 months. After almost two years of carrying their babies, they are quite protective and motherly over them once they are born. As we see from this video, the mother and the other females did their best to protect the baby from the big bully!

Is It Normal For a Male Elephant to Attack a Baby Elephant?

Elephants are generally peaceful animals and don’t usually attack each other unless there are certain circumstances involved. Females may be aggressive when a young calf is present and all elephants may react aggressively when they are harassed, sick, or injured. A bull may show aggression when they are competing for a mate or in musth, which is a periodic condition in bull elephants characterized by aggressive behavior and accompanied by a large rise in reproductive hormones. 

However, the behavior in this video was highly unusual, and according to Joyce Poole, an expert on elephant behavior, National Geographic explorer, and co-founder of ElephantVoices, she believes that this is not only a young male, but that his aggression was most likely caused by his not being able to distinguish female elephant reproductive hormones. Males will then try to search out the female in the group that is giving off the scent.

Do Bull Elephants Protect The Herd?

In elephant herds, matriarchs (the oldest females) assume leadership roles, guiding groups of other female elephants such as daughters and their calves. Meanwhile, male elephants go through a bit of a maturation process and will eventually leave the herd.

Researchers have discovered that mature bull elephants play a crucial role in leading these younger males. The social structure of bull elephant groupings is characterized by a hierarchical ranking system, with leaders chosen based on age and strength.

These male elephant leaders take on responsibilities at the front and rear of the herd, that offers protection. Bulls with more docile personalities will not take on leadership roles but do, however, contribute as stabilizing members within the group.

How Large Are Male Elephants?

African elephants are the largest land animals in the world, with males weighing between 2 and 7 tons (4,000 and 14,000 pounds) and reaching heights of between 9.8 and 13.1 ft. Males do not reach their full size until they are around 35 to 40 years of age. The largest adult male ever recorded was an African savanna elephant that weighed about 24,000 pounds and was 13 feet tall at the shoulder.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © David Steele/Shutterstock.com

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