For scientists conducting long term research on tigers and their prey, catching an elephant smoking is a rather strange sight.

That’s what they discovered when they visited camera trap locations around India’s Nagarahole National Park.

“I believe the elephant may have been trying to ingest wood charcoal,” Varun Goswami, an elephant biologist working with the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). “She appeared to be picking up pieces from the forest floor, blowing away the ash that came along with it, and consuming the rest.”

According to WCS, charcoal has toxin-binding properties which could be useful medicinally. It’s also useful as a laxative, serving a purpose after forest fires, lightning strikes, or controlled burns. Read more…

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