Re: Elephants and Fermented Fruit

[Guest guest]

Lana Gibbons wrote:

>I had to step in here. The most popular, elephant-eaten fermented

>fruit is the Marula fruit. The fruit is so addictingly good almost

>all species in the area gather together once a year to get drunk and

>be merry.

I have to ask - how do you know this (e.g. first hand, from the Amarula

marketing, or from a movie?) I don't mean to be rude, it's just that

Wikipedia says:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marula

" The marula fruit is also eaten by various animals in Southern Africa.

In the movie, Animals are Beautiful People by Uys, released in

1974, some scenes were shown where elephants, warthogs and monkeys got

drunk from eating fermented marula fruit. Later research showed that

these scenes were improbable and, in all probability, staged. Elephants

would need a huge amount of fermented marulas to have any effect on

them, and other animals prefer the ripe fruit. The amount of water drunk

by elephants each day would also dilute the effect of the fruit to such

an extent that they would not be affected by it. "

Please don't take this the wrong way; I am *asking*. Wikipedia isn't the

fount of all knowledge, and often needs updating (it's a community

knowledge base that can be updated by anybody). However, there has been

a study done to see whether this is possible, and the conclusion was

that it isn't:

http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2005/12/1219_051219_drunk_elephant.html

( http://makeashorterlink.com/?T43951FDC )

It sounds like this study was an extrapolation from facts, not

observation. Which is why I ask how you know about elephants and marula

fruit. Just because a scientist predicts that it can't be so, doesn't

mean it isn't so.

>In South Africa, they blend this fruit with cream to make " Amarula. "

>(The bottle is brown with a gold label which has a picture of

>Elephants near the Marula tree on the front) ...

I've seen it in Aussie bottle shops. Might have to pick up a bottle next

time! Unfortunately, it is a cream liqueur, so I'll have to flaunt it at

my wife as I drink it (she can't handle casein)...

Their website says this about the elephants:

http://www.amarula.co.za/za/learn/amarula_roots/

" LEGENDS AND FOLKLORE

The animals that are most keen to enjoy the fruit are the magnificent

African elephants, which arrive in herds, or by themselves, and ram the

trees to get the fruits to fall off. As the fruit falls and lies on the

ground, it starts to ferment, giving it a sweeter taste - and a slightly

alcoholic content! Even the animals of the savannah will do just about

anything to eat the Amarula fruit. "

For stories about drunken elephants, here's a couple I found in Google:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/3423881.stm

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2583891.stm

http://www.mosnews.com/news/2006/01/20/drunkelephant.shtml

(Note that they all drank something that people fermented)

--

Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

" There is more to life than simply increasing its speed. " - Mahatma Gandhi

[Guest guest]

I can't say about elephants, but my mom swears she saw the birds getting

drunk off fruit when she was a kid. Says it was hilarious.

It never happens around here: the berries mold way before they get

alcoholic. But our climate isn't Tennessee.

-- Heidi

[Guest guest]

Heidi Schuppenhauer wrote:

>I can't say about elephants, but my mom swears she saw the birds getting

>drunk off fruit when she was a kid. Says it was hilarious.

Same down here, with fermented berries and nectar. Rainbow lorikeets are

noisy enough at the best of times, but drunk? Look out!

--

Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

" It's not the right time to be sober,

Now that the idiots have taken over " - NOFX

[Guest guest]

My father was raised in Zambia and most of my family lives there and in

South Africa. Its just a story I've been told time and time again by my

Dad.

I am familiar with the movie referenced: its actually called " Beautiful

People " and it is banned in the USA for the scenes referenced. There is

quite a bit of controversy about those scenes - a lot of Africans swear they

are exactly like they've seen in the wild, whereas " experts " here say

they're faked. One could accuse that whole movie of being fake, all of it

seems so unreal to someone who's grown up in the states (especially with how

the script introduces a lot of the animals) but a lot of is was

recognizeable by my dad as things he saw when growing up. And watching the

movie with him spawned lots of other interesting stories about his youth in

Africa.

-Lana

On 3/28/06, Ross McKay <rosko@...> wrote:

>

> I have to ask - how do you know this (e.g. first hand, from the Amarula

> marketing, or from a movie?) I don't mean to be rude, it's just that

> Wikipedia says:

>

> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marula

>

> " The marula fruit is also eaten by various animals in Southern Africa.

> In the movie, Animals are Beautiful People by Uys, released in

> 1974, some scenes were shown where elephants, warthogs and monkeys got

> drunk from eating fermented marula fruit. Later research showed that

> these scenes were improbable and, in all probability, staged. Elephants

> would need a huge amount of fermented marulas to have any effect on

> them, and other animals prefer the ripe fruit. The amount of water drunk

> by elephants each day would also dilute the effect of the fruit to such

> an extent that they would not be affected by it. "

>

[Guest guest]

Lana Gibbons wrote:

>My father was raised in Zambia and most of my family lives there and in

>South Africa. Its just a story I've been told time and time again by my

>Dad.

>

>I am familiar with the movie referenced: its actually called " Beautiful

>People " and it is banned in the USA for the scenes referenced.

What the " land of the free " , which treasures " free speech " so highly?

>There is

>quite a bit of controversy about those scenes - a lot of Africans swear they

>are exactly like they've seen in the wild, whereas " experts " here say

>they're faked. ...

Thanks Lana, I did wonder about the scientific wrap up and conclusion

that it " wasn't possible " based on spreadsheet calculations, with no

actual experiment to see whether it was.

--

Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

" Aha! Guantanamo! " - Afro Cuban All Stars

[Guest guest]

>>I am familiar with the movie referenced: its actually called " Beautiful

>>People " and it is banned in the USA for the scenes referenced.

-Lana

>What the " land of the free " , which treasures " free speech " so highly?

-Ross

Strange that a movie " banned in the USA " should be publicly available for

purchase

in the USA. Are you sure your facts are right? Sounds like an urban myth

created

by Africans and Australians. Perhaps the movie might not be shown to

schoolchildren

because the institutional powers that be think the little tykes would be scarred

for life,

but that is conjecture on my part.

Animals Are Beautiful People (1974)

Starring: Paddy O'Byrne Director: Uys Rating G

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Darrell

[Guest guest]

Darrell wrote:

>Strange that a movie " banned in the USA " should be publicly

>available for purchase in the USA. ...

That sounds more likely. And I hope it's better than The Gods Must Be

Crazy...

--

Ross McKay, Toronto, NSW Australia

" There is more to life than simply increasing its speed. " - Mahatma Gandhi

[Guest guest]

LOL! I know animal rights activists had real issues with the drunk animal

scene - it makes me wonder if it was cut out of the US version. If anyone

here gets the US version, would you let me know if that scene is still in?

I could use a copy that is compatible with my DVD player.

Its a very cute movie.

-Lana

On 4/1/06, Darrell <lazlo75501@...> wrote:

>

> Strange that a movie " banned in the USA " should be publicly available for

> purchase

> in the USA. Are you sure your facts are right? Sounds like an urban myth

> created

> by Africans and Australians. Perhaps the movie might not be shown to

> schoolchildren

> because the institutional powers that be think the little tykes would be

> scarred for life,

> but that is conjecture on my part.

>

[Guest guest]

>

> LOL! I know animal rights activists had real issues with the drunk

animal

> scene - it makes me wonder if it was cut out of the US version. If

anyone

> here gets the US version, would you let me know if that scene is

still in?

> I could use a copy that is compatible with my DVD player.

>

> Its a very cute movie.

>

> -Lana

>

>Hi, Lana

>I will let you know after I get the movie that I reserved from

>lockbusters Online.

>

>Audrey