Coprophagia

Using the trunk to Grasp or Pluck and ingest portions of faeces from the fresh dung pile of another elephant.

References: Poole & Granli 2021. (Full reference list)

This behavior occurs in the following context(s): Foraging & Comfort Technique

Coprophagia

Context: Foraging & Comfort Technique (1)

Little E has found a pile of fresh dung and is eating from it - a behavior known as Coprophagia. A 2 year old female comes along and inspects what he is doing and then uses a gentle Push that seems to be intended to stop him from eating the dung and Guide him away from it. We have seen this sort of intervention by older elephants before. (Maasai Mara, Kenya)