Images of the touching moment conservationists saved an elephant calf and his mother after they became stuck in mud have surfaced. After entering a soft, muddy area, the unfortunate animals became trapped for two days. Their weight caused them to sink below the surface of the ground.
The two are said to have become stuck while looking for water, a duty that gets more ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜs during a drought since it sends the animals onto hazardous terrain. The mother elephant is said to have slipped on the muddy terrain and, in her attempt to right herself, instead managed to drive herself deeper into the ground.
In an effort to help her, her calf also fell and got stuck as his feet descended below the surface. The animals spent hours struggling to escape, but were fatigued and unable to continue. They gave up and accepted their fate.
The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, a Kᴇɴʏᴀn organization that runs one of the country’s largest orphan elephant rescue and wildlife rehabilitation programs, fortunately descended on the sᴄᴇɴᴇ and jumped into the muck.
Knee-deep in the marsh, employees used their hands to remove dirt and loosen the ground just enough to allow the elephants to be hauled to freedom by a pair of enormous straps and ropes tied to the back of a tractor. The elephants were finally rescued after a lot of effort on the part of the conservationists, and they were spotted galloping joyously back to freedom.
Read more at Elephant World category