Reaching to the head itch can be quite a challenge if you’re an elephant – but luckily, this ingenious calf has come up with a great way to get that satisfying scratch.
The clever boy was spotted picking up a piece of bark with its trunk and deftly moving the makeshift tool around until it touched the itch.
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, without thinking, picked it up and proceeded to apply it to the unpleasant itch.
The hilarious pictures were taken by South African photographer Sean Parker, 40, living in Dubai.
He said: ‘Looking at the calf with the stick was interesting. The clouds had gathered, and a gentle rain was falling as this elephant tried to get her two calves across a dirt road.
‘She really seemed to be struggling to control them, and one suddenly broke rank. Then he continued to amuse us by playing with a piece of bark he found on the road.
‘It looked like it was trying to cure the itch on its back but ended up getting only its trunk. This playtime lasted about half an hour until the angry bull gave a thunderous trumpet, and the young boy turned back to her.
“Just before he was severely reprimanded, he gave the bark a last and longing look .”
