Getting to an itch on the head can be quite a challenge if you’re an elephant – but luckily, this ingenious calf has come up with a great way to get it.
The clever boy was spotted picking up a piece of bark with a trunk and deftly moving the makeshift tool around until it touched the itch.
The image of an elephant wandering along the track, with its mother and siblings, in Kruger National Park in South Africa.
The calf saw the bark lying in the middle of the road and, without thinking, picked it up and went to treat the unpleasant itch.
The hilarious photos were taken by South African photographer Sean Parker, 40, living in Dubai.
He said: ‘Looking at the calf with the stick was exciting. Clouds had gathered, and a gentle rain was falling as this baby elephant tried to get her two calves across a dirt road.
‘She seemed to be struggling to control them, and one suddenly broke rank. Then it continued to amuse us by playing with a piece of bark it found on the road.
‘It looked like it was trying to get an itch on its back but ended up getting only its trunk. This game lasted about half an hour until the frustrated cow gave a thunderous trumpet, and the youngster turned back to her.
‘Just before his stern reprimand, he gave the piece of bark a last and longing look.’
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