Under the bright sunshine of South Luangwa National Park in Zambia, a heart-stopping scream rang out from a verdant forest. The villagers felt the pain from the cry of a baby elephant, everyone was curious and worried about what was going on.
When they went to investigate, they discovered a heartbreaking situation: a baby elephant about 3 weeks old was stuck in a shallow hole in the south of the National Park. The pitiful cry came from the mother elephant trying her best to free her baby.
This hole is not so deep that it is difficult to get, just a shallow hole in the ground, probably dug by people to make brick molds. However, the baby elephant was too young to escape on his own, and despite her best efforts, the mother elephant could not help her baby.
Rachel McRobb, CEO and co-founder of the Conservation Society of South Luangwa (CSL), described the scene saying: “The mother was in the hole with him and was frantically running around trying to help help him. She went out but she couldn’t manage it either.”
Rescue teams from CSL, wildlife veterinarians and park rangers rushed to the rescue. First, they tried to calm the mother elephant to ensure her safety, then they focused on helping the baby elephant.
“I jumped into the hole with the baby and asked three scouts to help lift him up,” McRobb said. Then they carried him to his mother before we woke her.”
Baby elephants do not need much time to get used to their rescuer. He went straight to his mother and stayed close to her while the veterinarian gave the little elephant an antidote.
“Mom was fine when she woke up,” McRobb describes. The baby immediately snuck in there and nursed – he was hungry because he hadn’t nursed all night.”
“The mother seemed very relaxed and very happy to be reunited with her child,” she added.
The mother elephant breastfed the baby elephant until the baby was full, then the two elephants went for a walk together. McRobb shares his feelings: “The most emotional part of the rescue for me was two parts – first watching the baby stand right next to his mother while our veterinarian administered the antidote and second was the smile on the faces of those who helped. It was truly amazing and probably the best thing that happened to me all year.”