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Elephant performs Bharatanatyam in viral video? IFS officer claims it is not dancing but…
A video of an elephant seemingly dancing alongside women performing Bharatanatyam is viral. But experts warn the elephant's swaying could be a sign of stress.
A video of two women performing Bharatanatyam while an elephant sways behind them, apparently joining the dance, has delighted millions of viewers. However, an Indian Forest Service officer claims there may be more to the ‘dancing elephant’ than meets the eye, and the animal could actually be stressed.
The dance video
The video in question shows two women performing Bharatanatyam in the open. An elephant, tied to a pole behind them, begins swaying from side to side as the women dance. The video was shared on X with the caption: “Two girls are performing Bharatanatyam when suddenly an elephant joins in, matching their moves and vibing along gracefully.”
Social media users who saw the video took it at face value and were delighted to see a dancing elephant. The video has racked up nearly 7 lakh views on X along with hundreds of comments praising the elephant’s ‘dance routine’.
The unfortunate truth
However, in truth, the video is not as joyful as social media would have you believe. Indian Forest Service officer Parveen Kaswan pointed out that the elephant is likely stressed, not dancing in joy as people would like to believe.
“That elephant is stressed. It is not a sign of dancing but stress,” Kaswan wrote in response to the clip. “We need not to humanise animals. They have their own way of living and expression,” he added, sharing another video of an elephant swaying from side to side when stressed.
Elephants often sway or rock back and forth when they are stressed, bored, or confined in unnatural environments like small enclosures or chains. This behaviour, known as stereotypic behaviour, is commonly observed in captive elephants that lack stimulation or the ability to move freely, as they would in the wild.
Stereotypic behaviour in captive elephants includes head bobbing, repetitive movements, walking in circles, pacing the same path etc.
