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Did the elephant really think the iPhone was a banana? Or did some young tourists fake it?

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Elephant 'swallows' tourist's iPhone

28/12/2012
Online Reporters

A Thai elephant appears to have swallowed a Chinese visitor's iPhone while she was taking pictures of her friend feeding bananas to the animal at a tourist spot. The phone was later recovered from the elephant's dung, or so it seems in a video that has gone viral on the web.

The incident, at an unidentified elephant camp in Thailand, was conveniently filmed by a third person. But some netizens are not convinced by the video and think it was staged

According to some sceptics, the smart phone swallowed by the elephant is not the same as the phone later found in its dung heap, while others suggest the people in the video were acting a part.

Some said the elephant's keeper probably took the iPhone out of its mouth and later hid it in the pooh pile.

Another suspected the elephant passed the phone up to the mahout sitting on its head.

Judge for yourself. The video is below.

(Source: Bangkok Post, Elephant 'swallows' tourist's iPhone, 28/12/2012, Online Reporters, link) 


Viral Video Vocabulary

viral - when something is passed around by many people on the internet and becomes very popular
viral video -  a funny video that becomes popular through people sharing it with friends over the internet (See Wikipedia)

video gone viral
a video that has gone viral on the web

fake (adjective) - looks real but not real ปลอม
fake it - ปลอมแปลง

Did young tourists having fun fake it?

swallow - กลืน,  กลืนเข้าไป
elephant swallows tourist's iPhone

appears to have  ... - it looks true but not 100% sure
appears to have swallowed
a Thai elephant appears to have swallowed a Chinese visitor's iPhone

spot - a place
tourist spot

she was taking pictures of her friend feeding bananas toan elephant at a tourist spot

pooh - (slang) solid waste that passes out of the backside อุจจาระ, ขี้
pile - many things put on top of each other, a stack  กอง,  สิ่งที่สุมรวมกัน; ของมากกองสุมกันขึ้นไปจนสูง

pooh pile
hid the phone in the pooh pile

dung - solid animal waste that passes out of the backside อุจจาระ, ขี้
elephant's dung

heap  - a messy pile; a big untidy pile of things  สิ่งที่สุมรวมกัน ไม่เรียบร้อย
dung heap

the phone was later found in the elephant's dung heap

recover - get back something that was lost
the phone was later recovered from the elephant's dung

the phone was later recovered from the elephant's dung, or so it seems in a video that has gone viral on the web

unidentified - not knowing who someone is
an unidentified elephant camp in Thailand

conveniently - very easy to do (perhaps too easy)
conveniently filmed by a third person

incident - an unpleasant event (something that happened that was unpleasant)
the incident, at an unidentified elephant camp in Thailand, was conveniently filmed by a third person.

netizens - people who do a lot of things on the internet

convinced - certain; sure แน่ใจ, มั่นใจ
not convinced by the video

staged - arranged in advance (acted out and not real) จัดตั้ง 
they think it was staged

but some netizens are not convinced by the video and think it was staged

acting a part - putting on a show for people (what happened was not real)
the people in the video were acting a part

sceptic - a person who doesn't believe that something is true or real  ผู้สงสัย

According to some sceptics, the smart phone swallowed by the elephant is not the same as the phone later found in its dung heap, while others suggest the people in the video were acting a part.

the elephant's keeper - the person who looks after an elephant  คนเลี้ยงช้าง, ควาญช้าง 
some said the elephant's keeper probably took the iPhone out of its mouth and later hid it in the pooh pile.

mahout - elephant driver คนขี่ช้าง (usually the elephant keeper also) (See Wikipedia)
the mahout sitting on its head.

pass up to - to give something to someone above you
pass the phone up to the mahout

suspected - something thought to happen or be something เป็นที่สงสัย
another person suspected the elephant passed the phone up to the mahout sitting on its head.

judge -  to form an opinion about something after looking at all the facts คาดคะเน, ลงความเห็น
judge for yourself - make your own decision; form your own opinion about what happened

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