“Take my trunk” – Herd of Elephants Stops to Help Struggling Calf Climb Up a Ridge

Watch the special moment a herd of elephants stops what they are doing to help a calf that can’t get up the ridge.

Watch the special moment a herd of elephants stops what they are doing to help a calf that can’t get up the ridge.

Timothy loves wildlife and visits the bush as often as he can, he has a history of wildlife photography. He also used to be a game ranger, so he knows where to go to get the best wildlife footage!

“The scene was quite peaceful. There was a large herd of elephants coming down to the Sand River for a late afternoon drink and play before heading up in the direction of the bush over an embankment. I remember looking at that high step onto the embankment and saw how small the little calf in the herd was. I knew that he would struggle to get up there. That’s when I decided to start filming.”

“I felt so sorry for the little one as it started to panic. Thankfully, with elephants being elephants and very family orientated, the calf was not left to struggle for too long. The family quickly came to the rescue.

“The sighting ended with the herd gathering and moving off back into the bush to continue feeding. The calf was now staying very close to his mother after the ordeal.

We always read and hear about how elephant family and social dynamics are something to behold but most people very rarely get to experience it on such a level where you actually see an elephant family actively help a member in distress. This was quite a rare sighting for me.