elephant

A 3D animated video featuring a cow, elephant, gorilla, hippopotamus and tiger playing on a long slide is drawing large audiences globally. The cartoon-style animal content, aimed mainly at children, has gathered close to 800,000 likes, making it one of the most-watched pieces of animated wildlife entertainment this week.

African savannah elephants venture into the pitch-black chambers of Kitum Cave on Mount Elgon, where they use their tusks to scrape volcanic rock rich in sodium, calcium and magnesium. Generations of herds have hollowed out these deep mineral chambers and passed down this unusual mining behaviour. The remarkable example of animal learning and adaptation is being widely shared among science enthusiasts.

The California Department of Fish and Wildlife is marking ten years since Assembly Bill 96 took effect, the state law banning the sale of most ivory and rhinoceros horn. The agency says the ban gave it stronger powers to prosecute wildlife traffickers operating in California and to support enforcement against elephant and rhino poaching networks worldwide.

African savannah elephants venture into the pitch-black chambers of Kitum Cave on Mount Elgon in Kenya, using their tusks to scrape volcanic rock for sodium, calcium and magnesium. Generations of herds have hollowed out these deep mineral chambers, passing the unusual mining behaviour down through the herd. Footage of the elephants at work is drawing attention to one of nature's most remarkable learned traditions.

A compilation of baby elephants tripping, splashing and playing is drawing big audiences worldwide, with viewers sharing clips of the young animals' clumsy, playful behaviour. People are calling them natural comedians, and the footage is being passed around as lighthearted entertainment, adding to the ongoing popularity of wildlife content featuring elephant calves at rescue centres and in the wild.

Uganda is drawing attention for a wildlife forensics laboratory that operates with United Nations support and uses scientific analysis of seized ivory to build court cases against trafficking suspects. The lab links confiscated elephant tusks to suspects and crime scenes, turning routine seizures into successful prosecutions. Reports highlight it as a model for using forensic science to combat poaching and illegal wildlife trade across Africa.

India is being credited with one of the world's most notable wildlife recovery stories, saving its tigers along with lions, rhinos and elephants. The country's conservation programme, combining protected reserves, anti-poaching efforts and habitat management, has allowed populations of flagship species to rebound despite enormous population pressure. The story highlights how a developing country with over a billion people has managed to expand, rather than shrink, space for large wild animals.

German activist shop Collactivist is promoting a new women's premium organic t-shirt featuring a 'Plant Powered Elephant' design. The shirt is being marketed to the vegan and animal rights community, tagged with themes of plant-based nutrition and activism, and sold through the shop's online store.

A new astrophotography image of IC 1396B, the Elephant's Trunk Nebula, is circulating among space enthusiasts. The nebula, a dense region of gas and dust in the constellation Cepheus around 2,400 light-years away, is a popular target for amateur astrophotographers. Posts tagging it under astrophotography and space are drawing attention from the stargazing community.

A wildlife photograph showing an elephant and its calf walking through tall grass, with a mountain visible in the background, was shared from Mozambique. The image, tagged as nature and travel photography, drew attention for capturing a mother and calf together in their natural habitat near the South African border region.

Attention has turned to 'Presents: Singles and Beyond', the 2000 compilation on Emperor Norton that gathers the Olivia Tremor Control's early recordings released before their debut album 'Dusk at Cubist Castle'. Sean Westergaard's Allmusic review of the collection is circulating again, drawing listeners back to the band's formative material from the Elephant 6 scene.

An elephant and her calf have been filmed moving through tall grass in South Africa's Kruger National Park, in footage set to Henry Mancini's 'Baby Elephant Walk'. Viewers are sharing the clip for its charming wildlife moment, with the calf drawing particular attention as it follows its mother through the savanna.

BBC 6 Music's Huw Stephens played Tame Impala's 'Elephant' on air, accompanied by a link to a Marvel Years remix of the track on Bandcamp and Spotify. The play spotlights continued interest in the psychedelic rock band's 2012 song and its remix versions, giving listeners a way to stream both the original and the reworked take.

The World Wildlife Fund is highlighting the ecological relationship between elephants and baobab trees, two icons of the African landscape. Elephants feed on baobab bark and fruit, helping disperse seeds, but their stripping of bark can also damage ancient trees. Conservation groups use the pairing to draw attention to the pressures both species face from habitat loss and climate change.

A wildlife photographer has documented a five-year journey to photograph Africa's super tuskers, the rare elephants with enormous tusks found in parts of East and Southern Africa. The project highlights how few of these animals remain, as their large ivory makes them prime targets for poachers, and conservationists continue to push for stronger protection of the remaining individuals.

Trail cameras in Tanzania have recorded 529 elephants using the country's first protected wildlife corridor, confirming the route is actively used by large herds moving between habitats. The footage is being welcomed as evidence that corridor protection can work, offering a possible model for reducing human-elephant conflict and reconnecting fragmented landscapes elsewhere in East Africa.

More than 90 travel companies have stopped offering elephant rides, following a campaign by animal rights group PETA, which is celebrating the shift as a victory. The moves mean tourists booking with these firms will no longer be sold elephant riding experiences, a practice widely criticised over the treatment of the animals used.