I’ve read many reports of animals who love alcohol just as much as humans do. But until now, I never knew that their wild parties could lead to drunken brawls. The West Australian has a story about a herd of elephants that had a little too much beer and then went on a rampage. Here’s an excerpt:
Six Asiatic wild elephants were electrocuted as they went berserk after drinking rice beer in India’s remote northeast, a wildlife official said today [23 Oct 2007].
The 40-strong herd uprooted an electric pole while looking desperately for food on Friday in Chandan Nukat, a village nearly 240km west of Shillong, the capital of Meghalaya state, said Sunil Kumar, a state wildlife official. “There would have been more casualties had the villagers not chased them away,†said Dipu Mark, a local conservationist.
The elephants are known to have a taste for rice beer brewed by tribal communities in India’s northeast. Four wild elephants had died similarly in the region three years ago.
There’s another story of elephants raiding the liquor cabinet at the end of this piece.
[The West Australian: Drunk elephant rampage ends in death]
Incredible story. I had no idea that this sort of thing existed in the wild. And to think that some pet owners actually give their animals booze because they think it’s cute. Ugh. Great post! Thanks.
i hate mean people that treat animals so badly
That is so crazy! I fell really bad for thoughs elephants though. And why would there owners let them get drunk like that!?! Beer should even be in their grasp. Ugh!- but still that is pretty awesome.