Kenyan Wildlife Rangers Rescue Elephant Calf From Water Trough

A baby elephant was rescued from a water trough in southeast Kenya on Wednesday, January 4, footage shared by the Kenyan wildlife service shows.

Kenya Wildlife Service said on Facebook that veterinary and field teams participated in the rescue, at the Arabuko Sokoke Forest.

The Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, whose staff also participated in the rescue, said that the rescue had been complicated by the calf’s mother and sibling: “While it would have been easy enough to lift the calf out of the trough, his mother complicated matters significantly. She was very upset and aggressive, which prevented anyone from getting close enough to help,” they wrote.

The trust said the Kenya Wildlife Service deployed a helicopter with a vet aboard in order to dart the mother, though this turned out not to be necessary.

“The KWS pilot hovered between the mother and the water trough, expertly edging her a safe distance away. From there, the rescue operation was completed in the blink of an eye. It ended in a very happy family reunion — the best possible way to begin the new year,” the trust wrote.

Footage from the Kenya Wildlife Service shows rangers pulling the animal out of the trough as the helicopter hovers nearby. Credit: Kenya Wildlife Service via Storyful

Video transcript

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