On the Sᴏᴜᴛʜ Aғʀɪᴄᴀn plains, a young elephant without a trunk has been spotted moving around.
Concerns for the safety of the youngster have increased since footage of it walking among an elephant herd in Kruger National Park without a crucial body part surfaced.
The safari personnel stated they didn’t know how it ʟᴏsᴛ its distinctive appendage, but concluded that a predator was probably responsible.
They said that crocodiles had on several occasions been observed grabbing young elephants by their trunks while they drank from lakes. Lions are known to cling to the trunk of large animals when they ᴀᴛᴛᴀᴄᴋ. There was also the possibility that it fell victim to a trap.
The elephant’s upper lip and nose were used to create the body part. With more than 100,000 muscles, this gigantic appendage is both powerful and quick. The animals eat things from the ground and use their trunks to scavenge vegetation and fruit from trees.
They use the trunk to absorb up to two liters of water at once for drinking or self-cleaning. Elephants also use their trunks to defend themselves against predators. Losing the trunk is one of the most potentially ᴅᴇᴀᴅly things that can happen to the animal.
Source: https://dailylifeworld.com