Wild Jumbo spotted playing football in Odisha's Keonjhar, watch

Elephants straying into human settlements is a frequent occurrence. Habitat loss and lack of food and water are among the major reasons behind the jumbos entering villages or cities. This ultimately leads to conflicts between humans and elephants. However, here we bring a video of a wild elephant that was recently spotted playing football in Odisha's Keonjhar.

In the video, a group of children are seen on one side of a playground. Meanwhile, on the other side, the wild jumbo is seen walking on the playground. The children seem to be quite excited and surprised to see the elephant. Surprisingly, the elephant starts moving to the side while kicking a football. Suddenly, he kicks hard and the ball goes up high in the air. This left everyone excited and they started cheering for the elephant. The huge jumbo again walks towards the ball.

It seems the children were busy with their game when the elephant suddenly approached leaving them scared. However, the gentle giant without causing harm or frightening anyone, focuses on the ball that the children left behind and starts playing with it.

While the source of the video couldn't be obtained, it is shared on X (formerly Twitter) by NATIVE VOICE. As claimed by the user, the incident was captured in Odisha's Keonjhar. 

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As per the post, the incident took place in Dhabapitna playground under Patna Forest Range of Keonjhar. The user also claimed that mining activities are blocking elephant corridors. The jumbos are straying into human settlements due to the destruction of their habitat and food shortages.

An 🦣 played #football at Dhabapitna #Playground, Patna Forest Range, #Keonjhar.⚽🐘
Mining activities are blocking #elephant corridors, habitat destruction & food shortages. This forces 🦣🐘🦣 into human habitation. #WildlifeConservation #SaveElephant #Keonjhar @ForestDeptt pic.twitter.com/Ww7VeMrd6e

— NATIVE VOICE (@nv_odisha) October 29, 2024

The video has gone viral and drawn the attention of many users. While some expressed concerns for the children and the elephants, others were all hearts for the wild animal as it didn't harm anyone.

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