Young Elephant Stops Traffic In Order To Steal Bundles Of Sugarcane Off Back Of Truck

May 22, 2021

Elephants are beloved gentle giants who always seem to fascinate humans with their behavior. This is because elephants are extremely intelligent and can often surprise us with their clever thinking. Auan-tia is a juvenile elephant living at the Wildlife Sanctuary in Chachoengsao, Thailand. In a video from March 2019, she can be seen stopping traffic to steal sugar cane from the back of passing trucks. 

This hilariously clever elephant has learned that the cars and trucks passing the sanctuary will slow down or stop completely if she gets close. This means Auan-tia can freely take whatever she desires. Like most animals, her main desire is food. She seems to have realized that wherever humans are, there is bound to be something to eat. In this case, she is absolutely correct.

In the video, Auan-tia saunters up close to the first truck and tries to reach into the back, but there is a tarp blocking her way. She moves on after a moment and then spots the next truck, which is carrying sugar cane that is completely uncovered. Happily, Auan-tia walks over to the truck and begins eating the sugar cane to her heart’s content.   

The drivers wait respectfully as if the elephant stopping traffic is a normal part of their routine. Auan-tia behaves as if she is a police officer and the Wildlife Sanctuary is her checkpoint. After a while, she moves out of the road and the cars are able to pass by safely. It is wonderful to see animals and humans existing together so harmoniously.

In another story from Thailand, a man was able to resuscitate a baby elephant after it was struck by a vehicle while trying to cross the road. Mana Srivate has worked as a first responder for 26 years, according to Reuters. The baby elephant was traveling with a group of adult elephants in the eastern province of Chanthaburi when it was hit by a motorcycle. The motorcyclist was not seriously injured, but the baby elephant was unconscious when Srivate arrived on the scene.

As the man performed CPR on the injured elephant, he could hear the nearby elephants. Srivate told Reuters, "It's my instinct to save lives, but I was worried the whole time because I can hear the mother and other elephants calling for the baby." If the mother elephant saw a human with her injured baby, then the situation could become even more dangerous.

This was the first time Srivate had performed CPR on an elephant, so he had to think quickly about what to do. "I assumed where an elephant heart would be located based on human theory and a video clip I saw online,” he said in the same interview from December 2020. There was tension while Srivate performed CPR and listened for the approaching adult elephants.

Thankfully, all of Srivate’s efforts were successful. "When the baby elephant started to move, I almost cried," he confessed. It is a miracle this man reacted so quickly and with the correct response to a life-threatening situation. Fortunately, both the man and the elephant are safe, and the baby made it back to its mother.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) reports that African elephants are the largest mammals on earth. African elephants reach their full size at age 35 to 40 and can live to be 60 to 70 years old. They weigh 3 to 7 tons when full-grown. The way to tell the difference between African and Asian elephants is by the size of their ears; African elephants have much larger ears.

Elephant trunks have incredible abilities that make elephants unique from other mammals. The trunk has 150,000 muscle units, making elephants extremely dexterous despite their size. An elephant’s trunk can also hold up to 8 liters of water, which they then can drink or spray on themselves to keep cool. Elephants can also use their trunks as a snorkel when they go under water. 

WWF also reports that an elephant’s tusks are actually large incisor teeth. The tusks begin to appear when an elephant is 2 years old, and they continue to grow throughout their lives. Tusks are used to dig up roots or scrape bark off of trees for eating, although they can also be used as a defense when an elephant gets into a fight. Unfortunately, because elephant tusks are made from ivory, they are at high risk for poaching.  

Elephants also have a strong sense of community and travel in herds. They are able to communicate with one another through a few different means. They use their trunks to make trumpeting sounds and also use body language, touch and scent to speak with one another. Elephants are also able to communicate through seismic vibrations that travel through the ground and may be detected in their bones. Given this amazing ability to communicate amongst each other — and as these stories show — elephants are more like us than they seem!

Elephants are special creatures that deserve our respect and protection. What did you think of the silly elephant stealing sugar cane? Did you know any of these facts about elephants? Be sure to let us know your thoughts and send this on to your loved ones.