'Cuteness Overload': Baby Elephant Practices Charging in Adorable Video

A baby elephant has been filmed practicing its charge in an adorable video.

The footage was captured by husband-and-wife wildlife photography team Zander and Stefni Rautenbac, in the Kruger National Park, South Africa. The video was posted to their Facebook page and YouTube channel.

In the footage, the baby elephant can be seen running toward the camera and stopping. Other elephants from the herd can be seen to the side of the video, in the grass. It runs around the area, charging for a few minutes before disappearing to the rest of its herd.

A row of cars can be seen waiting behind the baby elephant as it continues its practice.

"Cuteness overload," one Facebook user said in the comments.

Another one said: "What a beautiful sighting!!!"

Zander Rautenbach told Newsweek: "My wife and I are passionate wildlife enthusiasts and spent Christmas together with our family in the Kruger National Park. We chose Malelane satellite camp as our festive destination and that is also where we managed to capture many awe-inspiring sightings."

"We always manage to find ourselves in what we like to call an 'elephant roadblock.' We were stationary waiting for a herd of elephants enjoying the H3 tar road when this young elephant decided to practice his charging skills. We were impressed with his tenacity and started filming."

There are an estimated 13,050 elephants living in the Kruger National Park. Male calves usually stay with their herd until they are around 12 to 15 years old, whereas females usually stay for their whole lives.

Elephants are highly social animals and bringing up the young is often a group effort.

Baby elephants can be observed mimicking the older members of the herd, by practicing behaviors such as charging. Although usually gentle creatures, elephants charge as a form of self-defense.

Elephants can also mock charge, a tactic they use to determine whether something or someone is a threat. These mock charges tend to be quite theatrical.

Elephant calves tend to be especially playful, and often won't hesitate to charge a vehicle.

Mock charges can be distinguished from actual charges as the elephants' ears tend to be relaxed, and they tend not to make any noise.

"The response has been incredible as other social media platforms started sharing our sighting and their audience enjoy watching the video as much as we enjoyed filming it," Rautenbach said. "Tips for capturing any memorable sifting in wild is patience and always having your camera ready because you never know what unforgettable moments nature is dishing up next."

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