The woman was left cooing after the elephant acknowledged her baby bump with what looked like a cute gesture, but many people on TikTok saw it as something rather dangerous
Carrying a baby for nine months can be a rollercoaster of a journey for many women. That’s why you find many expectant parents like to round off the pregnancy with a baby moon right before the big day arrives.
And since it’s normal to have relatives coo over your baby bump, one mum-to-be was floored when an elephant also had a reaction to her unborn baby. In a post on TikTok, the woman was on holiday in Thailand when she came across the mammal during a visit to an elephant sanctuary. A video shows the moment “from one mum to another mum” – but viewers claimed it’s not as sweet as it looks.
The caption read: “We visited an ethical elephant sanctuary in Thailand to observe these beautiful creatures in their natural habitat. We specifically chose this elephant sanctuary as they do NOT offer performances or riding to protect the elephants from exploitation.
“We saw Po getting into the water and had the pleasure of getting in with her when this beautiful, authentic moment was captured – no forced contact just a genuine connection between two mothers. “Elephants can tell when someone is pregnant by their incredible sense of smell and seeing her react so intentionally and gently to our baby was beautiful, especially when you consider that elephants weigh several tonnes.”
The video shows the moment the elephant began circling its trunk around the woman’s baby bump as she can be heard thanking the animal for its gentle gesture.
Since it was posted, the clip garnered 7million likes and 11,100 comments. One warned: “This is dangerous.” Another added: “This is obviously Zoochosis in elephants. I learned about that reading the comments.”
While someone explained: “For the confused ones, Zoochosis is a stress response in elephants whereby they start swinging their trunks when placed in environments they don’t like.”
Zoochosis is a psychological condition which affects wild animals held in captivity, leading to repetitive, compulsive behaviours not seen in the wild.
Examples of this sort of behaviour include:
- Pacing and circling
- Swaying
- Head-bobbing and swaying
- Feather-plucking
- Bar-biting
- Self-mutilation
It is important to remember that elephants are wild animals and should be treated with respect, so approaching them in the wild or captivity can be dangerous.
In this case, the elephant lives in a sanctuary so therefore they live out their lives with dignity, free from the public eye and pressures of performance or breeding.
Sadly the animal can still exhibit Zoochosis when living in a sanctuary, particularly in a condition developed during prior confinement in a zoo or circus.
Meanwhile another TikTok viewer said: “Most animals are gentle when they realise there’s a baby on board.” And another added: “She’ll remember you forever. Elephants have a incredible memory.”
