Baby Elephant's Terrified Family Trusts Kind People To Save Her From Drowning

[Surya Gayatri]

Her family stood by in terror as she struggled in the water.

A panicked herd of enormous elephants stood by helplessly as one of their littlest was drowning. The banks were too deep and the mud too slippery for them to get her out on their own.

Luckily, the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust's Voi Elephant Keepers received a call about the distressed elephant and rushed to the scene to help. But the elephants of the herd were upset about the drowning baby, and seemed ready to charge at any approaching threat. Very carefully, the Voi Elephant Keepers got closer to the ditch where the baby flailed.

The Elephant Keepers used straps to pull the baby up to higher ground, and then the tiny elephant was able to climb the rest of the way out on her own.

Another added that humanity could learn something from the steadfast devotion of elephants. "Aren't elephants just wonderful caring and loving family creatures," the commenter wrote on Facebook. "Its a shame man has not learnt from them and continue killing them for profit."

https://www.thedodo.com/drowning-baby-elephant-rescued-return-family-1223430640.html

_____________________

How ANYONE can justify killing these magnificent, sentient beings is totally beyond me. Bless the people who protect them.

[lamp_shade]

1. Do you have a link to this story?

[Surya Gayatri]

3. Sorry, thought I'd linked it. Stand by...

[Surya Gayatri]

4. Here ya go!

https://www.thedodo.com/drowning-baby-elephant-rescued-return-family-1223430640.html

[lamp_shade]

5. Thank you.

[roguevalley]

38. circuses use baseball bats and sticks with hooks to 'train' the babies to perform.

Even with the mother watching crying out. Fuck circuses. Lovely story. thank you.

[lastlib]

41. And FUCK the GOP for using these noble beasts for their party symbol!

They have NOTHING in common with elephants--except their output.

[roguevalley]

43. hear, hear. + a zillion

[UtahLib]

2. Sweet little love. So happy they were able to help her. nt

[swilton]

6. 1,000 K&R

For pulling the heart strings!

[Surya Gayatri]

7. ...

[mountain grammy]

8. Last summer we had a baby raccoon caught in a fishing net on our back porch

The mother and her 10 babies watched as my husband cut the net to free the little one. The raccoon around here are pretty vicious, but the youngster was freed with no interference, and scampered off to a swift kick by it's mother and away they all went.

Animals should have no reason to trust humans, so it's always a treat when we can do anything to restore that.

[Surya Gayatri]

9. ..."it's always a treat when we can do anything to restore that."

[niyad]

15. the other night, I heard a lot of noise in the back yard, and went to investigate, figuring it

was probably a raccoon. It turned out to be three of them, not fully grown (think teens). They just stood there looking at me as I told them to move on. could almost see them shrugging their shoulders as they continued to play. the raccoons around here are not vicious, but completely indifferent to the humans.

[ChazInAz]

19. My unscientific theory.

I've become convinced that raccoons are making a concerted effort to become our next domestic house-pet. They seem to be following the methods used by Serval Cats some five thousand years ago in Egypt. Among wildcats, they're surprisingly tolerant of humans, and so took to lounging around the area of human's homes, looking beautiful. Something Servals do well. Occasionally, they'd demonstrate some useful ability, such as capturing mice or purring pleasantly when touched. After a while, the Egyptians realized they had some rather large cats living in their houses with them, taking over.
At the moment, raccoons are still working out the "useful ability" thing. Disposing of our garbage seems to be something they're focusing on. Don't know how well that's going to work for them. They DO have "cute and entertaining" down, though, and they obviously enjoy living in our areas.

[niyad]

21. that is a very interesting theory. I know that the raccoons in this area have no fear of

humans, and I find them utterly amazing.

in native american cultures, raccoons have very special meaning (in one, they are called the "generous protectors", who guard the camps)

http://spiritlodge.yuku.com/topic/1001#.VZFsk3erFoU v(this article is fascinating)

[KansDem]

44. "They just stood there looking at me as I told them to move on..."

"...could almost see them shrugging their shoulders as they continued to play."

Definitely "teens."*

________
*[font size="1"]From a father of a teen and a postteen![font size="2"]

[samsingh]

10. beautiful

[Surya Gayatri]

11. Elephants know more about solidarity and caring than the average Con.

[niyad]

16. lint knows more than the cons.

[Surya Gayatri]

18. ...

[samsingh]

36. agreed totally

[Omaha Steve]

12. Thanks for posting

K&R!

[Surya Gayatri]

13. ...

[niyad]

14. what a wonderful story. thank you so much for sharing it.

[Chakaconcarne]

17. Wonder if this herd will have memory of this event....

Sad for me to say, but for their own protection.... I hope they forget.

[Surya Gayatri]

26. Best to stay as far away as possible from homo sapiens...

[Uncle Joe]

20. This was a good story.

Thanks for the thread, Surya Gayatri.

[Snobblevitch]

22. "...enormous elephants..."?

[Surya Gayatri]

24. This is the baby...

Go to the link to see the adults--yes, enormous.

[Snobblevitch]

32. The story referred to

"a panicked herd of enormous elephants." To me it was an odd description because of the redundancy.

[Surya Gayatri]

33. Ah, mere rhetorical flourish, I suspect.

[joeybee12]

23. KNR...elephants have strong familiy ties...

The females that is...they stick together forever.

[Surya Gayatri]

25. Incredible, impressive beasts. They put us to shame...

[McCamy Taylor]

27. K&R for real family values

[R. P. McMurphy]

45. Well said! nt

[kwolf68]

28. IMAGINE

A world like this!!!!

[Surya Gayatri]

29. We have much to learn...from our animal cousins.

[kwolf68]

30. MUCH

But the few people there that helped the elephants are good folks. Trouble is the bad people spoil it for the rest of us. Elephants are simply amazing animals...i don't like "picking and choosing" for "better animals" in that we can kill this one, but not that one, but killing these guys just takes the cake...only the slaughter of dolphins and whales is as sickening.

[Surya Gayatri]

31. ^^^This!^^^

"only the slaughter of dolphins and whales is as sickening."

[lunamagica]

34. I love elephants...

I always have.

It pains me that the symbol for the GOPi s an elephant

[Surya Gayatri]

35. Painful historical anomaly, indeed.

[red dog 1]

37. K&R

Bless the people who protect them...for very little pay...and who risk their lives every day, because poachers often kill them as well as the poor elephants...all for the love of money!

[locks]

39. Thanks for the post; this is the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust

in Nairobi Kenya that has been rescuing baby elephants for decades, caring for them until they can be returned to the wild and live with a loving elephant herd. My dear granddaughter who lived in Nairobi for three years has been adopting elephants for me the last five years. While poaching for ivory is still killing these wonderful creatures all over Africa, it is such a joy to know that Africans and people all around the world are working hard to protect them.

[Duppers]

40. Bless your granddaughter.

And her grandmother.

[calimary]

42. Always do like a happy ending!

They're remarkable creatures.