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  • Category: Miscellaneous
    Points:5

    Change in food habits of wild elephants

    We have written and discussed a lot about change in food habits of human beings. Almost in every discussion, people point out that change in food habits have harmful effects on health and other problems.

    This discussion has now become boring. So, I will discuss the change in food habits of wild elephants.

    As a person who travelled through forests many a time, I have heard from more experienced people that the favourite food of wild elephants are bamboo shoots and bamboo plants (younger bamboo trees). But elephants are also changing their food habits.

    In Bankura District of West Bengal, groups of elephants enter human habitation from Dalma Hills. We have seen this phenomenon for more than 50 years. Earlier, people used to think that human habitation, railway tracks on the movement corridor of elephants are the reasons behind this (elephants entering villages and sometimes even towns).

    But now, people find some other interesting reasons behind this phenomenon. We know Bengali ladies cook delicious foods. In many cases, elephants enter villages to eat cooked rice (Bhaat in Bengali), lentils (Daal in Bengali) and curries (Tarkari in Bengali). This proves that even elephants like cooked food by Bengali ladies!

    But that is not the end. There are some more. In many villages in Bankura and other districts of West Bengal, in the evening/night, villagers enjoy country-liquor made from cooked rice after hard work. This particular country-liquor is known as 'Taadi/Taarhi'. These local Taadi-shops are often located at the end of the villages.

    Wild elephants are now addicted to Taadi. They identify the Taadi-shops and memorise these. When people leave the Taadi-shops, they invade those residential shops and drink Taadi from big pots where prepared and semi-prepared Taadi is kept. In one incident, when the elephants could not find any Taadi (prepared or semi-prepared) in the shop, they got very annoyed and killed the owner of the shop.

    So, change of food-habits of elephants are also creating problems for human beings.
  • #781342

    Points:5
    How do these elephants behave after drinking Taadi from big pots where prepared and semi-prepared Taadi are kept? Do they behave normally? Or any change in their behaviour is noticed. Please let us know if you have any information regarding this particular aspect. Like humans, the elephants are also liking the food of Bengalis. If we give them food made in other States how they receive that food is to be seen and it will be interesting.
    Change in food habits is not always bad, sometime they will bring in good changes in the health of human beings. Anyhow change is invertible and it will happen continuously.
    It is very interesting to note that elephants also eat like us. I never heard that they eat Bhaat, Daal and Tarkari. Thanks to the author for sharing the information. But the quantities they can consume may be much higher than what a human being consumes.
    drrao
    always confident

  • #781347

    Points:3
    Animals don't know whether it is "Taadi" or something else. They just want food and they know humans cook food on fire. Rice is mostly eaten everywhere and may be they like the smell of the cooked rice. Even if an elephant drinks it, I don't think it will have any effect because there body is too big to show any effect. If an animal is hungry be it an elephant or a monkey, they will create problems.
    Humble yourself or life will do it for you!

  • #781349

    Points:4
    Dr. Rao Sir has raised an interesting question and I do know the answer.

    When a group of elephants enjoys remaining Taadi kept in the pot after being consumed by local people, they don't get drunk, because the amount is insufficient for all of them. But they enjoy that peculiar sweet smell and taste of Taadi.

    But there are records that when an elephant outside the group or 'masth' elephant (a particular physical condition seen in elephants) drank Taadi from the pot, it got drunk and behaved very abnormally for 12-24 hours. Such drunk and 'masth' elephant becomes very very dangerous.
    Billo Rani kahon to abhi jaan de doon: Oh dear Billo, if you ask, I will give my life

  • #781350

    Points:2
    This is a strange but interesting information. Elephants coming to villages in search of food items. It is a unsafe situation as these elephants can harm the people and houses in the villages.
    Thoughts exchanged is knowledge gained.

  • #781356

    Points:2
    Thanks to Partha Sir for bringing out nice information that the elephants are fond of drinking Taadi if they could get the same. It is an important divulgence with which many of us might not be aware of this fact.
    The other interesting part is that they like Bengali Food such as Bhaat, Daal and Tarkari and consuming such feeds makes them extremely happy.


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