An elephant poops on her baby’s head — and seems to know what she’s doo-dooing.
Locals in Zimbabwe’s Mana Pools National Park explained to wildlife photographer Jens Cullman that it is a bonding ceremony that helps to strengthen the immune system of youngsters.
“What I’ve heard is that when the baby gets dung on it, it helps the baby’s immune system and maybe even connects the two of them in some way.”
“I got pictures of the calf looking at me, and he then gets up, and the mother spins around, after that the calf follows her, and she drops her dung on him.”
“The photographs were fascinating for me to look at, I will have to confess. My friends and family think they’re hilarious too.
“Everyone was just ‘wow wow wow.'”
I was driving through an area of a national park when I noticed this little adorable baby elephant. I stopped the car and walked towards them, then snapped a photo.
“They were eating. It was the end of the dry season, and they had to go all day through the park in search of something to eat.
“I followed them because I enjoy these two elephants. The calf was next to the mother’s huge foot and it was adorable.”
