Photo: File: GettyVillagers in east India came upon a strange sight on Wednesday: their liquor pots broken and emptied and two dozen elephants asleep on the ground near the area.The villagers who live in the Keonjhar district believe that the herd of jumbo elephants had taken a drink from their large pots — which were being used to ferment a traditional Indian alcohol called “mahua” —and passed out, according to the Press Trust of India.“We went into the jungle at around 6 a.m. to prepare mahua and found that all the pots were broken and the fermented water [was] missing,” villager Naria Sethi told the Press Trust of India. “We also found that the elephants were sleeping. They consumed the fermented water and got drunk.“The villagers were unable to wake the slumbering elephants, so they called wildlife officials who brought in drums tomake a loud enough noiseto wake them up, according toThe Sunday Times. Once awoken, the elephants scattered from the scene.Kartick Satyanarayan, a chief executive ofWildlife SOS, a non-profit that helps rescue and rehabilitate wildlife in India, toldThe Timesthat he has doubts about the story because “usually one elephant looks out for the rest of the herd, so it seems a bit unusual.“But, he also noted that mahua is a favorite among Indian wild elephants.“They love it. It’s pure, it’s tasty, and it’s powerful,” Satyanarayan said. “When they smell it, they can poke their trunks into kitchens or break down walls to get to it. Once finished, they stagger back home, toppling the odd tree or house on the way.“However, the elephants' love for mahua can sometimes turn deadly.In April,The Times of Indiareported that a herd of elephants had killed five people in the Jaisingh Nagar forest range who had been collecting mahua within a span of two days.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.J S Chouhan, chief wildlife warden in Madhya Pradesh, told theTimes of Indiathat he issued a warning to villagers to stay away from forest areas, where elephants were spotted, and stop brewing mahua because elephants would be able to smell it.There have been othersimilar storiestold over the years about elephant rampages possibly due to drinking alcohol.However, Steve Morris, a biologist at the University of Bristol in England, toldNational Geographicthat “elephants gently warm their brains with fermented fruits,” and there is no evidence to suggest that elephants can get drunk.
Photo: File: Getty
Villagers in east India came upon a strange sight on Wednesday: their liquor pots broken and emptied and two dozen elephants asleep on the ground near the area.The villagers who live in the Keonjhar district believe that the herd of jumbo elephants had taken a drink from their large pots — which were being used to ferment a traditional Indian alcohol called “mahua” —and passed out, according to the Press Trust of India.“We went into the jungle at around 6 a.m. to prepare mahua and found that all the pots were broken and the fermented water [was] missing,” villager Naria Sethi told the Press Trust of India. “We also found that the elephants were sleeping. They consumed the fermented water and got drunk.“The villagers were unable to wake the slumbering elephants, so they called wildlife officials who brought in drums tomake a loud enough noiseto wake them up, according toThe Sunday Times. Once awoken, the elephants scattered from the scene.Kartick Satyanarayan, a chief executive ofWildlife SOS, a non-profit that helps rescue and rehabilitate wildlife in India, toldThe Timesthat he has doubts about the story because “usually one elephant looks out for the rest of the herd, so it seems a bit unusual.“But, he also noted that mahua is a favorite among Indian wild elephants.“They love it. It’s pure, it’s tasty, and it’s powerful,” Satyanarayan said. “When they smell it, they can poke their trunks into kitchens or break down walls to get to it. Once finished, they stagger back home, toppling the odd tree or house on the way.“However, the elephants' love for mahua can sometimes turn deadly.In April,The Times of Indiareported that a herd of elephants had killed five people in the Jaisingh Nagar forest range who had been collecting mahua within a span of two days.Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.J S Chouhan, chief wildlife warden in Madhya Pradesh, told theTimes of Indiathat he issued a warning to villagers to stay away from forest areas, where elephants were spotted, and stop brewing mahua because elephants would be able to smell it.There have been othersimilar storiestold over the years about elephant rampages possibly due to drinking alcohol.However, Steve Morris, a biologist at the University of Bristol in England, toldNational Geographicthat “elephants gently warm their brains with fermented fruits,” and there is no evidence to suggest that elephants can get drunk.
Villagers in east India came upon a strange sight on Wednesday: their liquor pots broken and emptied and two dozen elephants asleep on the ground near the area.
The villagers who live in the Keonjhar district believe that the herd of jumbo elephants had taken a drink from their large pots — which were being used to ferment a traditional Indian alcohol called “mahua” —and passed out, according to the Press Trust of India.
“We went into the jungle at around 6 a.m. to prepare mahua and found that all the pots were broken and the fermented water [was] missing,” villager Naria Sethi told the Press Trust of India. “We also found that the elephants were sleeping. They consumed the fermented water and got drunk.”
The villagers were unable to wake the slumbering elephants, so they called wildlife officials who brought in drums tomake a loud enough noiseto wake them up, according toThe Sunday Times. Once awoken, the elephants scattered from the scene.
Kartick Satyanarayan, a chief executive ofWildlife SOS, a non-profit that helps rescue and rehabilitate wildlife in India, toldThe Timesthat he has doubts about the story because “usually one elephant looks out for the rest of the herd, so it seems a bit unusual.”
But, he also noted that mahua is a favorite among Indian wild elephants.
“They love it. It’s pure, it’s tasty, and it’s powerful,” Satyanarayan said. “When they smell it, they can poke their trunks into kitchens or break down walls to get to it. Once finished, they stagger back home, toppling the odd tree or house on the way.”
However, the elephants' love for mahua can sometimes turn deadly.
In April,The Times of Indiareported that a herd of elephants had killed five people in the Jaisingh Nagar forest range who had been collecting mahua within a span of two days.
Never miss a story — sign up forPEOPLE’s free daily newsletterto stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
J S Chouhan, chief wildlife warden in Madhya Pradesh, told theTimes of Indiathat he issued a warning to villagers to stay away from forest areas, where elephants were spotted, and stop brewing mahua because elephants would be able to smell it.
There have been othersimilar storiestold over the years about elephant rampages possibly due to drinking alcohol.
However, Steve Morris, a biologist at the University of Bristol in England, toldNational Geographicthat “elephants gently warm their brains with fermented fruits,” and there is no evidence to suggest that elephants can get drunk.
source: people.com
