This Karnataka Elephant’s Love For Football Is Winning Hearts Online, Watch The Viral Video

Animals are every internet user's favourite past time. Every social media platform is flooded with videos and pictures of adorable and dorky animals. From spending hours looking through cat videos to scrolling through endless compilations of dogs barking, the internet is surely the right place for any animal lover.??

31-Year-Old Elephant Plays Football In Viral Video

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One such video taking over the internet is of an elephant who enjoys indulging in the popular human sport of football.?On Facebook, a clip of a 31-year-old elephant fondly called Girija aka Mahalakshmi is seen playing around with a ball at the Kateel Shri Durgaparameshwari Temple.

Girija is a famous attraction at the temple. Visitors often wait in line to have a moment with the star performer and even insist on getting a selfie with the elephant. The temple is located in the Dakshina Kannada district of Karnataka.??

The Elephant Was Brought To The Temple In 1994

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In 1994, the miraculous elephant was brought to the Kateel Shri Durgaparameshwari Temple. According to reports, the animal is taken care of and trained by a duo of young men named Fairoz and Atlaf. Girija began playing football and cricket as a recent addition to the temple's attractions.

It was approximately eight months ago that the elephant started indulging in human sports. Now, its days are filled with playing, as the elephant enjoys playing cricket and football for over two hours every day.

Before Girija, a male elephant resided in the temple. He was called Nagaraja. After he passed away, Girija was introduced at the temple when she was only 5 years old. At the temple, the elephant lives a life similar to that of a human, waking up and taking a bath in the morning before eating breakfast and lunch. She even lies down for a nap in the afternoon and has dinner at night.