A baby elephant solved the problem of an itchy backside by stretching in awkward positions against a piece of bark on the ground and using it to scratch the hard-to-reach places.

The video was taken on November 19 by Kruger National Park resident Edrich Schafer.

He told Newsflare: "I was sitting alone, watching a small herd of elephants swimming during the heat of the day. My attention moved from the playful elephants in the water to one particular individual that left the mud wallow and stood against an old broken tree trunk.

"This is where the most amusing part of the whole elephant sighting took place. The elephant was leaning with his backside against the trunk and moved his body from side to side in a really funny manner. The elephant bull then had to stretch himself into various awkward-looking positions to reach the itchy places that are hard to reach otherwise.

"After the entertaining performance of a series of funny body movements, the bull elephant finally looked satisfied and slowly moved on with the rest of the herd."

I was sitting alone, watching a small herd of elephant swimming during the heat of the day in the Kruger National Park. While most of the herd was swimming and playing in the water, a few individual elephants opted to cool down in the mud in a wallow adjacent to the waterhole. My attention moved from the playful elephants in the water to one particular individual that left the mud wallow and stood against an old broken tree trunk.
This is where the most amusing part of the whole elephant sighting took place. The elephant bull wanted to make use of the tree trunk as a rubbing post. The elephant was leaning with his backside against the trunk and moved his body from side to side in a really funny manner. After that itchy part was sorted the elephant bull then had to stretch himself into various awkward looking positions to reach the itchy places that are hard to reach otherwise. While stretching in all kinds of weird ways, the bull elephant moved its body back and forth or from side to side, working hard to get rid of a great itch. After the entertaining performance of a series of funny body movements while scratching, the bull elephant finally looked satisfied and slowly moved on with the rest of the herd.