Distressed Wild Elephants
Coming face to face with a wild elephant can be a terrifying moment for anyone. But for one man, he had no choice after saving a baby elephant and returning it to its parents. He wasn't sure what to expect, but he certainly didn't think the mother would do this to him ...
The herd was distraught that one of the little ones had fallen into a mud pit. Despite all their efforts, the large animals couldn't save the baby. But luckily for them, help was on the way. And when the ordeal was over, the huge female elephant did something no one would forget!
Not Ready to Let Go
As distressing as the situation might've been, the herd was not ready to give up. Everyone could see that things were dire, and there was no room for error. They had to find a way to save the baby!
But with every passing minute, the situation was only getting grimmer. The little one needed immediate help; otherwise, things would've gotten completely out of hand.
The Plight of the Mother
Seeing the plight of this baby that was just a few months old, the elephant herd became nervous and finicky. On the other hand, the distraught mother just couldn't stop pacing. Like any parent in that situation, this mommy elephant just wanted her child to be free.
She looked around, hoping that somehow, her baby would be saved. His cries from inside the pit were setting her on edge. Luckily help did arrive, and the mother watched as a brave human answered her prayers.
The Agonizing Cries
Nearby, a group of people were going about their business when they heard the distressed baby elephant's agonizing cries. The wails were unforgettable as if hell had broken loose.
The group realized they had to do something to help and immediately ran to the baby's aid. But the herd did something so shocking that it'll bring tears to your eyes!
The LARGEST Land-walking Mammals.
Out of all the animals that currently walk the earth, Elephants are considered to be one of the most majestic and wisest species.
And how can we rule their humongous size out of the equation? Witnessing one up close is a remarkable experience, but what if you come across a whole herd of them? Do you think they would be friendly or try to attack? ...
Importance of Elephants in India
In India, 80% of the total population are Hindus and in the Hindu religion, the elephant is basically a living reincarnation of Lord Ganesh. Ganesh being an elephant-headed deity in Hinduism, elephants are considered sacred in the country.
Lord Ganesh is one of the most important Hindu Gods and is a source of wisdom and intellect, a remover of obstacles, and provides good luck and fortune. Because of this very reason, elephants are considered sacred symbols of divinity, mental strength, power, peace, and royalty.
Enjoy their Freedom
They might look dangerous at first because of their huge build, but they are quite majestic. In India, wild elephants roaming freely on the roads isn’t a new thing. They might like to stay away from humans, but on rare occasions when they came across a human being, they were best described as regal and majestic.
In India, humans and elephants have learned to live together, and both species respect each other’s boundaries. But if the elephants feel that the boundaries have been crossed, they can turn their wild side on and retaliate, inflicting fatal damage while doing so.
The Urulanthanni River
The Urulanthanni River is located at the southern tip of India. A local elephant herd calls the river home, majorly because lush green forests surround the river. Humans also inhabit the habitat, but that doesn’t seem to bother the herd because they have an idea that the humans will not bother them.
As the herd passes by, the ground often shakes with their presence. That is sometimes scary for the locals residing there but they are also mesmerized by the presence of this mighty animal.
New Member in the Family
The elephant procession is nothing new to the locals. This time around, they witnessed the same herd making its way through the Urulanthanni River. The herd took the usual route to the forest, but there was something unusual this particular time.
The herd had welcomed a new member to their family—a baby elephant. The baby elephant was easy to spot because it was the smallest in the group–nearly half the size of the adults in the group.
Trouble Strikes
As the elephant herd prepared to cross the river, something unfortunate happened. The baby elephant, unlike the adults in the group, wasn’t used to crossing the river. He accidentally fell into a mud hole that was near the riverbank.
The baby elephant soon got all drenched in the mud and found it considerably hard to come out of the pit. The mud pit was quite deep, and the adult elephants found it difficult to reach the baby. Eventually, they stopped dead in their tracks and surrounded the mud hole, completely unsure about what to do.
Things Soon got Worse
The baby elephant, who was deeply stuck in the mud hole, was trying with all its might to get out of the hole, but his desperate attempts were bearing no fruit. His struggles got amplified by the fact that there was nothing inside the hole that could support his way up.
Things soon got worse as his desperate attempts to get out were draining the energy he had. It was like moving in wet concrete because the mud was so thick. The baby elephant soon started crying for help as he started feeling agonizing pain.
Helpless Adults
Like we mentioned earlier, elephants are one of the wisest animals ever to walk this earth. The adult elephants paced back and forth around the mud hole as the baby elephant struggled with his life. The baby also started showing signs of exhaustion.
The adult elephants of the herd knew very well that if they tried to get the baby out, they could make the situation worse as the hole was too cramped. And if the baby gave up, the mud pit could easily swallow him up.
Compassionate Beings
Apart from being one of the wisest, elephants are also one of the most compassionate beings out there. They always roam around in herds, which is why we rarely see an elephant roaming on its own. They also try to help each other whenever the situation demands. And this situation demanded nothing else.
It was evident that the whole herd started feeling anxious. What made matters even worse was the sun as its warmth was caking up the mud, making it even harder for the baby elephant to survive. Its fate was getting clearer in front of his eyes as he slowly gave up on the hope to survive.
Cry for Help
Knowing that the baby elephant was nearing its sad and unfortunate demise, the adult elephants gave out a thunderous cry. They created a deafening sound that could be heard for miles. Their trumpet-like noise was dipped with heartbreak and anguish.
Hearing their cry for help, the baby elephant soon knew that he wasn’t alone and that his herd was trying with all its might to get him out. That seemed to energize him again as he tried to get out of the pit but failed.
Locals Getting Curious
The locals obviously heard their thunderous cries, but they couldn’t make out the source of the news or why the elephants were screaming so loudly in the first place. Although they were a bit scared at first, some curious locals wanted to know everything about the noise.
Soon, they were able to determine that the sound was coming from the forest. They also assumed that it was a cry for help and there was definitely something wrong that was happening with the elephants. Curious but cautious at the same time, they slowly approached the forest.
Spotting the Herd
The group of curious locals soon spotted the herd as they were deafened by the screaming noise. They approached the herd cautiously as elephants can attack humans if they sense danger, but to their surprise, the elephants made way for them as if they wanted the humans to arrive.
The elephants did not look angry at all, instead, they looked relieved now that the humans were there. The locals first expected to come across feline predators but they were in for a surprise!
Found the Baby
The locals soon discovered the baby elephant. As much as they wanted to get the baby out themselves, they couldn’t with their bare hands as it was too heavy. But the locals weren’t willing to let the baby die in the mud hole.
Some group members parted ways to get the authorities, as they knew the only way to save the baby elephant was to involve government officials. They assumed that the officials would be able to get the right equipment to rescue the poor baby elephant.
Crucial Time Passes By
It soon started to get dark as the sun set. Some of the locals remained with the herd to keep a constant check on the baby elephant. He soon stopped moving and it alarmed the humans as they were constantly praying for the baby’s survival.
At last, they could see a caravan of cars approaching the area and the locals cheered at their arrival. The elephants too, made way for them because they sensed that help has arrived.
Curating the Situation
The group that arrived at the scene consisted of forest and wildlife officers. After closely inspecting the situation, they concluded that the baby couldn’t be saved that night as they needed heavy equipment to get him out.
One of the officers left the scene to get additional assistance while the other officers and the locals set up their camp around the same area as they constantly prayed for the well-being of the baby elephant.
Dawn of a New Day
As the sun shed its veil, a team of rescuers arrived with a giant excavator to rescue the baby elephant. By this time around, it had been a day since the baby got stuck in the mud hole.
The elephant herd started getting more and more anxious as time passed by. The herd started expressing their relentlessness and anxiety. This further boosted the determination of the rescuers to get the baby out as soon as possible.
Formulating the Plan
Since a baby elephant could weigh anywhere between 400 and 600 pounds, the rescuers had to carefully chalk out the plan before its execution. The rescue team and wildlife officers gathered together to formulate a plan to make sure that the baby got out safe and alive.
It was then agreed upon that they would set up the excavator to use as the baby elephant was solidly lodged into the mud. They had smaller equipment too, but they were running out of time, and so was the stuck baby elephant.
Execution of The Plan
The excavator operator slowly started digging the area around the mud hole to remove the mud around the elephant. The plan was to widen the space so the baby could move around more freely.
Since they couldn’t lift the baby with the excavator to get him out, they created a pathway that the baby elephant could utilize to climb up to the safer ground.
The Herd Patiently Waits
The huge and noisy excavator should have scared the adult elephants away, but they seemed to acknowledge the help they were getting. Their attention was diverted towards the youngest member of their family, who was still badly stuck in the hole.
The excavator’s job wasn’t easy either as it had to dig a lot of mud out to make way for the baby elephant. At the same time, the operator had to ensure that mud doesn’t fall back into the pit.
Community Project
The rescue mission soon turned into a community project as the rescuers asked for help from the locals. They picked out the strongest ones for the job while some people in the crowd went back to their homes to get refreshments for the rescuers.
The baby elephant sensed that he was being rescued and finally started moving around in the pit. This sent a huge wave of encouragement in the team of rescuers as the excavator kept digging away.
An unfortunate hurdle
Excavating the mud around the pit with bare hands could have taken a lot of time. Thankfully, using the excavator turned out to be a good move as it was much more efficient. It was probably the best way to dig the mud out.
All of a sudden, the buzzing excavator came to a screeching halt, and all the noise it was producing came to a stop. The operator tried to restart the engine, but all his attempts failed. Tension slowly built up in the air.
Time for a Break
Fortunately, the locals knew a thing or two about repairing engines as the excavator probably overheated because of the daunting task it had been performing for hours. All the tools were readily available, so the men got to work soon.
Seeing this opportunity, the hard-working rescuers took a much-need back to devour the refreshments they were offered by the villagers. Seeing that no one was attending to the baby elephant anymore, the herd started getting anxious. To calm the herd down and to let the baby know that they were still hell-bent on saving him, some of the rescuers took their break near the baby.
Changes in Plan
The local mechanics worked their magic and got the excavator running again. The crowd cheered, but the rescuers had to change the plan slightly because they couldn’t risk overheating the excavator again.
It was then agreed unanimously that they would create a trench instead of clearing a pathway because that way, they could just push the elephant out. It was the best bet since the baby elephant had no energy left to make it out of the pit all by himself.
Growing Impatience Leads to A Reunion
The adult elephants sensed that the plan had changed, so they became more anxious and started stomping on the ground again. This provided the rescuers with a much-needed boost to get the baby out.
The trench finally started taking shape as the baby elephant struggled to stand on its feet. Despite being so tired, the little fellow was determined to get out, and he finally managed to! Two elephants immediately approached the pit and welcomed the baby elephant on solid ground. You could immediately guess that they were the baby’s parents!
An Emotional Reunion
As the baby elephant was finally out of the mud hole, the rest of the herd was eager to surround it and shower some much-needed love on him. They screamed again, but this time around, their nose had a happier tone to it.
Even the crowd was overjoyed by the rescue mission finally bearing fruit as they cheered loudly as well. The majestic beasts started their procession back to the forest, but they had to be a bit more careful this time around.
Hard Lesson Learned
Everyone stood silently as the herd commenced its march towards the forest. This time they made sure that the unfortunate accident wouldn't happen again as they kept the baby in the middle, flanked by adult elephants on all sides.
The locals could have gone straight to their respective homes after their triumph but it felt like they all signed a silent agreement to just stand there and witness the majestic sight as the elephants kept marching towards their home. And then something surprising happened ...
Much-deserved Salute
We feel that animals are clueless and not as intelligent as the human species. But this amazing herd decided to prove this notion wrong!
The herd turned back and watched the locals as if they wanted to say thanks, but what they did instead will definitely baffle you!
A Kind Gesture
The elephants raised their trunks and let out a trumpet sound as if they wanted to salute the brave efforts of humans. After all, the little one couldn't have been safe, if not for the humans.
It was a heavenly sight for the locals to witness the majestic animals saluting them. It turned into a priceless moment, and we are sure that every one of them will remember this instance for the rest of their lives!
A Reunited Community
The reunion of the herd with the baby elephant sort of had a ripple effect on the crowd as they too could feel the happiness floating in the air.
The rescue team, volunteers, and officials congratulated each other on this triumph, and even the onlookers hugged each other to celebrate this mighty feat!
A Vote of Thanks
The wildlife officials handed out a short message of thanks to everyone who turned up for the rescue mission. After all, if not for them, the baby would've probably perished from the face of the earth!
The human community too felt more united than ever and headed back to their homes. This is one story that they will definitely recite to their grandchildren on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
All's Well That Ends Well
Finally, the little baby elephant was reunited with the herd, and the humans were basking in the glory of their long yet successful effort.
So, what did you think of this story? Don't forget to let us know by commenting and share this beautiful piece of pure resilience and teamwork with everyone you know!