This is the moment an elephant bends down to scratch her butt on an old termite mound – before her adorable baby calf imitates her.
After witnessing her mother do the same in Amboseli National Park, Kenya, a one-year-old African elephant rolled on her side to rub on a mound.
The 30-year-old older mother had to coax her toddler out of the mound so she could finish scratching before the pair rejoined the rest of the herd.
Wildlife teacher and photographer Jeff Sink was on a safari when he spotted the mother-child pair.
Mr. Sink of Chino Hills, California, US, said: ‘The elephant in question is a female about 30 years old, and she has a tiny baby next to her, the elephant I believe is about one year old.
‘The baby first laid on top of the mound, and then the mother had to coax it off the mound so she could give herself a great scratching.
‘These are African elephants, and the herds in Amboseli are among the largest left in the world.’
He added: ‘Amboseli is located in southeastern Kenya, right on the border with Tanzania and its year-round water source is from Mount Kilimanjaro.
‘The snowfalls create a permanent swamp where the elephants live in an ideal environment – except for the constant threat of po.ac.hing.
‘The elephants live on the slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and stay in the forests at night, eating up to 200 pounds of food a night.
‘As the sun rises, they descend into the mountains and join incredible herds of up to 500 elephants before heading to the marsh to drink and play.
‘As the day begins to end, they start marching back into the mountains.
‘On the way, they throw the dust into the air and onto their backs to minimize nuisance from bugs.
‘The elephants have their favorite old termite mound where they stop and scratch themselves.
‘I’ve never seen elephants just sitting on top of a mound and scratching their butt as these elephants did.
‘I was only 30ft away from the elephants, and it was amazing to see. “
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