Not quite Sleeping Beauty! Video captures moment an elephant stretches then yawns after waking from a deep sleep at South African national park

This elephant looks like he’s got out the wrong side of bed after it was captured waking from a deep sleep with a GoPro camera.

After situating the camera on top of a termite mound, wildlife photographer Christof Schoeman caught the exact moment the wild elephant bull in Greater Kruger National Park, South Africa, came round.

And incredibly the animal displayed similar movements to a human being on waking.

The elephant becomes curious, and lurches its trunk out towards the GoPro camera

After rising somewhat unsteadily, the elephant then stretches out, before letting out a tired yawn.

Then the huge beast stands almost motionless for a period of time, before curiosity gets the better of it, and after spotting the camera, he wanders over.

After lunging its trunk towards the GoPro, the elephant decides to throw gravel at the camera, before finally knocking it off its perch.

Once ranging across most of Africa the elephant population has declined dramatically across the continent.

Don’t worry, this elephant isn’t ill or dead, but in fact in the middle of a deep sleep

But soon the elephant wakes, and struggles to his feet after his period of relaxation

In South Africa the Addo Elephant and Kruger National Park protect large herds.

Due to rigorous conservation measures the elephant population in South Africa has grown from a estimated 120 in 1920 in four locations, to 10,000 at 40 locations to date.

He may still be a bit sleepy, but the bull elephant soon spots the camera, and bounds over

After a few sprays of gravel at the camera, the elephant decides a swipe of its trunk is what is needed