Watch a Family of Elephants Form a Protective Circle Around Their Baby When a Bird Warns of Tigers

In the wild, it is, as they call it, a dog-eat-dog world. No matter how big, small, or fast an animal is, danger is always approaching. However, some animals in the wild have specific roles they play to help keep the ecosystem balanced.

In the footage below, a bird warns the elephant that a tiger is nearby. The elephants then form a circle to protect the calf. Elephants form circles around their young or a pregnant momma giving birth to protect them from predators.

Watch the Video Below!

Elephants are known to be very social and peaceful animals in the wild. They usually have a symbiotic relationship with other animals they share space with.

Symbiotic relationships can come in different forms, such as parasitism, mutualism, and commensalism. Parasitism is where one species benefits and the other is harmed. Commensalism is where one species benefits and the other does not benefit or is not harmed. Mutualism is where both in the relationship benefit from each other.

Elephants can enjoy a relationship of mutualism with birds. Birds will eat parasites off of elephants, in which the bird benefits from having a free meal and the elephant is parasite-free.

While it’s not certain what the bird is in the video, it’s possible it could be an oxpecker or an egret. Both oxpeckers and egrets will alert certain animals of potential predators nearby. Other birds just enjoy interrupting predators from a potential meal. Very cheeky animals!

Another example of a mutual relationship the elephant has is with the olive baboon. Elephants will dig water holes during dry periods of the year for the baboon, and in return, the baboon will alert if danger is near.

Tigers’ Hunting Methods

Although elephants are peaceful animals, the tiger stands no chance against the size and unity elephants have. Tigers are swift ambush hunters that use stealth mode to hunt their prey. They typically go after prey much smaller than elephants but that doesn’t mean they are off the menu! These creatures will stalk their prey quietly and then attack when their prey least suspects it. Tigers know the strength of elephants, so they will usually target the weaker of the group or, in this case, the baby elephant.

The photo featured at the top of this post is © saha_avijan/iStock / Getty Images Plus via Getty Images