Daring Rescue: People Band Together To Save Trapped Elephant And Her Calf From Drowning
Daring Rescue: People Band Together To Save Trapped Elephant And Her Calf
From Drowning (Kenya)
Marty Townsend, InspireMore
September 19, 2024
See link
https://www.inspiremore.com/daring-rescue-people-band-together-to-save-trapped-elephant-and-her-calf-from-drowning/
for photos and video.
Animals in the wild sometimes need humans’ help. Recently, that happened on
the Kuranze Ranch in Kenya. The mixed-use ranch has several wells around
the property. A mother elephant and her calf fell into a well. The mom,
wholly submerged, could use her trunk like a snorkel. The baby was treading
water and was desperately near drowning due to exhaustion. Sheldrick
Wildlife Trust (SWT) personnel responded to rescue the elephant and her
calf.
The elephant rescue began with a simple plan. Rescuers needed to get the
calf to safety so they could concentrate on helping the mother. For
reference, a baby elephant weighs about 250 pounds at birth, and an adult
female elephant can weigh up to three to four tons (6,000 to 8,000 pounds).
Using a rope, they wrapped it around the baby elephant behind its front
legs. With brute force, the men pulled the baby out of the pit to safety.
While the baby elephant rescue was underway, additional workers set up
pumps to bring water from another nearby well. By adding water to the well,
the hope was that the mother elephant could float until the water level was
near the top, and they could drag her out.
Workers safely removed the baby from the well area while they worked on
rescuing the mother elephant. Because of her weight, the rescue team knew
they couldn’t pull her to safety without mechanical assistance. They worked
to get a sling around her. As dusk was approaching, they got a strap around
the adult elephant. Using one of their vehicles, they gently pulled her up
and over the edge of the embankment.
Once the mother and her calf were safe, they reunited and wandered off
together happily.
Checking The Elephants After Rescue
After reuniting the mother elephant and her calf, rescue workers checked on
the pair from a helicopter. The pair were spotted walking through scrub and
appeared fine after their ordeal.
The mother elephant checked out her calf, and the two went. Shortly after,
they were reunited with the rest of their herd. Workers from the SWT will
check the pair periodically, but for now, they are safe.