Baby elephants have to be some of the most adorable animals on the planet. As they learn about the world around them, they are also developing their personalities. In some cases, we are lucky enough to have a bird’s-eye view of their fun-loving and carefree spirit.
Ashanti is a 4-year-old African elephant. She is a member of the herd at the Voi Reintegration Unit in Africa. Recently, during dinner, Ashanti decided that her greens needed to be tossed like a salad before she could eat them! She pulled up a long, stringy branch with her trunk and then started to fling them around.
She dropped the bunch and then picked it up again. This time she really starts flinging it around. Up, down, and all around. The vine becomes a toy, and Ashanti becomes a full-fledged toddler playing with her food!
At one point, she lets it land on the top of her head, and she leaves it there like a crown. This funny elephant put her full soul into playing with her food—with her head bobbing and her ears flapping—we can’t get enough of the cuteness!
Human toddlers are notorious for playing with their food, and it appears that young elephants need the same reminder!
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The many fans of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust loved Ashanti’s antics as well. A few of the favorite comments were:
“Nothing better than playing with your food and making a lovely mess!”
“Well little Ashanti, you have certainly brightened my dreary day. Your green veggies make a very lovely headdress too! You are a very clever, adorable little stinker!”
“It’s not just food, it’s fashion.”
“Ashanti is just tossing her salad to make sure it’s all mixed well & she’s not sharing with her camera person.”
While the video is cute to see, many noticed that Ashanti is missing the two little “fingers” on the end of her trunk. She is a former orphan who was rescued by the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust when she was about two years old. They suspect her trunk had been partially severed by a poacher’s snare. Thankfully, she has adapted and overcome her injuries. She has learned to use her trunk to eat, drink, and apparently—even how to play with her food!