Vinay Kumar, a scientist belonging to the Wildlife Conservation Society (India), filmed the 48-second video during a work trip to Nagarhole forest in Karnataka state in April 2016.

He told the BBC that he had not released the video until now because he did not “quite realise its importance”.

Scientists say they are still not clear why the elephant was blowing ashes.

“This is the first known video-documentation of a wild elephant exhibiting such behaviour, and this has scientists had experts puzzled,” a statement issued by Wildlife Conservation Society (India) said.

‘Ingesting charcoal’

Mr Kumar said he and his team were visiting the forest early in the morning to monitor camera traps set up to capture images of tigers. He spotted the female elephant barely 50m (164ft) away and began filming with his point-and-shoot camera.

The elephant “appears to ingest charcoal” left by a controlled fire on the ground and “blow out the ashes”, according to the statement.

“What we saw that day almost appeared as though the elephant was smoking – she would draw up a trunk full of ash close to her mouth and blow it out in a puff of smoke!” Mr Kumar said.

Elephant biologist Varun R Goswami, who has examined the video, believes that “most probably, the elephant was trying to ingest wood charcoal, as she appeared to be picking up something from the burnt forest floor, blowing away the ash that came along with it in her trunk, and consuming the rest”.

“Charcoal has well recognised toxin-binding properties, and although it may not have much nutritional content, wild animals may be attracted to it for this medicinal value,” he said.

“Charcoal can also serve as a laxative, thereby doubling its utility for animals that consume it after forest fires, lighting strikes, or controlled burns.”

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Source: BBC

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About 40 tonnes of trafficked ivory was recovered, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) report says.

While poaching killed 111,000 African elephants over the last decade, in most places it appears to be levelling off.

Cites has welcomed the news but sounded a note of caution.

“The global collective effort that is underway is starting to reap positive results, but we are certainly not there yet,” the organisation’s Secretary-General John Scanlon said.

The report said the record weight of seizures could be down to better awareness and law enforcement.

It comes despite there being an increase in the amount of ivory being carved into bangles and pendants in Africa, rather than just being exported as tusks to Asia which are easier to intercept.

Mr Scanlon said there was particularly good news in Eastern Africa, which has been badly hit by poaching in the last decade.

“There has been a steady decline in poaching levels since its peak in 2011, and the analysis from 2016 concludes that overall poaching trends have now dropped to pre-2008 levels,” he said.

While the outlook for elephants looks good in Botswana, South Africa and Namibia, in central Africa there have been “dramatic losses of elephant populations” over the last decade, with “levels of illegal killing remaining very high”.

He said that it was now imperative for conservationists “to drive home the advantage we have while the political momentum is with us”.

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Source: BBC

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Maggie Q, who currently stars in ABC’s political drama Designated Survivor, is known for starring in the action films Mission: Impossible III and Live Free or Die Hard and also played the title role of The CW’s action-thriller series Nikita.

The actress, who is outspoken on the subject of animal rights, had joined fellow WildAid Ambassadors Yao Ming, Li Bingbing, and Jackie Chan for the “Say No” campaign urging consumers not to buy ivory and rhino horn products in 2013.

The actress posted on her Instagram, “I’m blessed enough to receive orphan love at the rehabilitation center in Nairobi,” on Friday.

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Source: capitalfm

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A court in Cairo convicted Peter Greste, Mohammed Fahmy and Baher Mohamed of spreading false news and supporting the banned Islamist group. The trio had denied the charges.

Three other foreign journalists tried in absentia received 10-year sentences.

The trial has caused an international outcry amid claims it is politicised.

Earlier, the Australian Prime Minister Tony Abbott made a direct appeal to Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi for the release of Mr Greste, a former BBC correspondent.

The three al-Jazeera journalists have been detained in Egypt for the past six months.

They were among 20 defendants in the trial that comes amid concerns over growing media restrictions in Egypt.

Source: BBC

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