An elaborate rescue that saved a mother and baby elephant from drowning in a swamp in Zambia is captured with thrilling, thrilling details.
This set of photos was taken by a wildlife tour guide in Zambia. It shows a thrilling rescue helping a baby elephant and its mother from the mud at Kapani in Zambia.
The other elephants in the herd tried in vain to get the mother and baby elephants out of the mud, while the mother elephant screamed in despair as she was completely bogged down.
The group of tourists contacted the South Luangwa Animal Conservation Society (SLCS) and the Zambia Wildlife Authority (Zawa), who were involved in the rescue.
Conservationists often advise humans not to interfere in the lives of wildlife, but in this case, they decided to make an exception.
“We can’t just stand by and watch these animals in distress to see them die,” Mindy Roberts from the Norman Carr wildlife tour group explains to the BBC.
Experts from SLCS and Zawa began the rescue by putting a rope around the baby’s body, while trying to avoid resistance from the mother.
It took a group of 10 people to help pull the rope and the baby elephant out of the mud pit. The rescue team overcame the poor animal’s resistance, as it didn’t seem to want to leave its mother.
The rescue team received the unexpected help of other elephants from the herd, when the large animals called out to the baby elephant and they finally helped the baby elephant leave the mother.
After that, people put a rope around the mother elephant. The female elephant was already showing signs of exhaustion and dehydration. To save it, people needed the help of a tractor.
The mother elephant, who was frozen for a moment, suddenly realized her chance to get out of the quagmire and get up, while the rescue team members raised their voices in encouragement.
After much effort, the mother elephant finally got out of the mud and returned to her herd. The entire process of the rescue was recorded by the lens of the guide Abraham Banda.