Baby elephant helped out of water trough under cover of darkness

A baby elephant is rescued and reunited with its mother

When this new-born elephant calf got stuck in a water trough, help was at hand just metres away! The dramatic night-time operation to rescue her took place just outside the Sheldrick Trust's Ithumba Stockades in February 2021, after night vision cameras revealed the calf had managed to climb into the trough.

If there is even a glimmer of hope for a baby to be returned to their family, we move mountains to make it happen. Our staff immediately sprung into action, using a water bowser to carefully drive the reluctant herd away, enabling Keepers to bravely jump out into the National Park, running through the darkness to lift the stricken baby out of the trough. After visual confirmation that she had found her herd, the calf’s mother turned back to rescuers, almost as if acknowledging all that had unfolded, before disappearing into the night. A perfect ending for our staff who work tirelessly to keep families together.

We documented the operation from start to finish in our newest update: https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.or...

Established in 1977, the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust (SWT) operates the world’s most successful orphan elephant rescue and rehabilitation program, rescuing and hand-rearing orphaned elephants and other animals that have lost their mothers, all too often as a result of human activity. But we do much more than this. Through our Aerial, Anti-Poaching and Mobile Veterinary Units, we safeguard the natural environment and provide immediate assistance to wild animals in need. We also secure irreplaceable wilderness areas so that animals will always have space to roam and work with local partners and communities to ensure people and wildlife can live alongside one another.

More Information about the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust can be found on the website ▶ https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.org/

Adopt an Orphan in need ▶ https://www.sheldrickwildlifetrust.or...

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