In a daring act of unity, strangers joined hands to save a drowning elephant and her calf—love guiding every effort.
The elephant rescue began with a simple plan. Rescuers needed to get the calf to safety so they could concentrate on helping the mother. For reference, a baby elephant weighs about 250 pounds at birth, and an adult female elephant can weigh up to three to four tons (6,000 to 8,000 pounds).
Using a rope, they wrapped it around the baby elephant behind its front legs. With brute force, the men pulled the baby out of the pit to safety. While the baby elephant rescue was underway, additional workers set up pumps to bring water from another nearby well. By adding water to the well, the hope was that the mother elephant could float until the water level was near the top, and they could drag her out.
Workers safely removed the baby from the well area while they worked on rescuing the mother elephant. Because of her weight, the rescue team knew they couldn’t pull her to safety without mechanical assistance. They worked to get a sling around her. As dusk was approaching, they got a strap around the adult elephant. Using one of their vehicles, they gently pulled her up and over the edge of the embankment.
Once the mother and her calf were safe, they reunited and wandered off together happily.