Asian elephants use twigs to scratch ears and mouth in southern India

Asian elephants use twigs to scratch ears and mouth in southern India

Asian elephants in southern India have been spotted holding twigs with their trunks and using them to scratch their ears and mouths.

Footage filmed on July 24 shows the animals, named Sunder and Menaka, using the twigs to scratch places on their faces they can't quite reach.

Bannerghatta Biological Park (BBP) is home to 23 Asian elephants, mainly captive-born but some rescued from temples.

Sunder, a 20-year-old elephant, was rescued from a temple in Kolhapur, Maharashtra and housed in BBP since 2014.

Menaka is seen using a similar technique but scratching her belly and neck using a small twig.