Wallowing in the mud is glorious fun for elephants young and old. But when you’re still only a baby, trying to stand up again in all that lovely slippery stuff when playtime is over takes a mammoth effort.
‘This mud bath has gone wrong mum, I can’t get up!’ This poor little fellow was left in a slippery position after a deluge in the Maasai Mara
‘I’m trying, Mum, but I just can’t make it’ — the young animal struggles to get to his feet but is getting exhausted and ever muddier
‘Pick me up, please!’ the baby elephant trumpets to Mum in distress as the conditions in Kenya send him falling straight back down on his bottom
The African elephant, thought to be aged six months to one year, had toppled over and was becoming ever more caked in mud as he thrashed around.
The baby’s trumpet for help was captured in these photographs taken during a torrential downpour in the rainy season in the Maasai Mara game reserve in Kenya
‘Under here, darling…’ It’s Mum to the rescue as she shelters her son and uses her foot to nudge him upright. The African elephant is thought to be aged six months to one year
‘Whoopsy-daisy! There we go,’ success at last. Wildlife photographer Andy Rouse captured the charming sequence of images while trailing migrating wildebeest
‘But for the little ones getting up again can be a nightmare. It took this one about five minutes. He managed it after finding shelter between his mother’s legs. Her legs gave him something solid to back up against so he could stand up.
‘Phew, that’s much better’ – baby’s back on his feet after a helping hand from his mother who stood over him for a bit of extra support
‘Aww thanks Mum, you’re a marvel’ — and now it’s mum’s turn to take a rest as she sits down in the mud following a job well done
African elephants, which live for up to 70 years in the wild, are slightly bigger than their Asian cousins and are the largest land animals on Earth