Wild elephant turns footballer in Assam, children watch in awe at playground

A wild elephant was spotted playing with a football at a playground in Assam’s Numaligarh in a video that has gone viral on social media.

The elephant wandered onto the Bogidhala playground and appeared to kick the football as it moved around the field. Some children were also seen nearby.

The video was recorded by onlookers and shared on social media by several accounts.

Watch the video here

Assam is home to a large population of wild Asian elephants, and encounters between elephants and people are common in several parts of the state.

Elephants frequently move through areas close to human settlements in search of food and water, sometimes entering agricultural fields and other populated areas.

Last week, a wild elephant was spotted with a tractor tyre stuck around its neck before the animal was rescued by the forest department after hours of effort in Assam’s Golaghat district.