As humans around the world are going into self-isolation, nature seems to be making the most of it. Dolphins have returned to the canals of Venice, skies have cleared up in Wuhan, chirruping birds are back in the world, and elephants are making merry…literally! Scroll down to know more. By Bayar Jain
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In what could possibly be considered the worst episode of Black Mirror, owing to the dreadful coronavirus pandemic, elephants in a village in Yunnan province, China seem to have lightened the mood rather unintentionally. A picture of two sleeping elephants has been doing the rounds on social media, possibly as an aftermath of passing out from getting drunk. These social media posts claim that a herd of 14 elephants stumbled upon corn wine while on the search for corn and food in a village in Yunnan, China. If these posts are to believed, the mighty creatures apparently guzzled over 30 kilograms of the alcohol before falling into a peaceful slumber amid the tea gardens.
Unfortunately, local officials of the region have dismissed the incident as fake. In fact, they claim that the reality was not as cute as perceived. According to them, although a herd of elephants did enter the Manamai village, they caused property damage to local homes in search of food, rather than embark on a wine soirée. Some sources report that a villager claims that the elephants knocked over his jar of homemade spirits, but whether they actually sipped on the alcohol remains unclear.
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In a Twitter thread, conservationist Parveen Kaswan writes that elephants have an affinity for alcohol, and mark spots where they were successful in seeking the same so that they can return for more. He further adds that elephants tend to seek out ripe fruits and areas where people make country liquor. Explaining the animal’s love for these intoxicants, he tweets, “If they see drunk people they get irritated also since it was not shared with them.”
Facts such as this could be a plausible reason to back the certainty and truth in the incident. However, whether the elephants genuinely drank too much and passed out, or whether the incident can be dubbed as fake, seems irrelevant in times like this. Either way, it doubles as the apt glimmer of positivity in otherwise dark times. Plus, aren’t they simply adorable?
Related: This Is How Italy Is Keeping Positive During Coronavirus, And What We Can Learn Too!