by Elephant Is Pulled To Sfety With Mnutes To Spare As It slowly Sinks Into Muddy Bog
A baby elephant was rescued with after spending over 12 hours stuck in a mud pool.
The young bull was spotted with mud up to its neck by a group of tourists on safari along the Zambezi River in Africa.
When the rescue team arrived it became apparent that they needed to act quickly as the baby pachyderm sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ to free its trunk and was close to drowning.
The young elephant was spotted sinking into the marshland by tourists on safari along the Zambezi River in Africa. Bradley White and his wife Annelize, owners of the nearby Imbabala Zambezi Safari Lodge in Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe heard the call for help over the radio and immediately came to the aid of the young elephant.
After gathering a rescue team, they made several attempts to pull it from the mud before eventually setting it free. Mr. White said it was likely the elephant had become trapped the evening before and after surviving for more than 12 hours wouldn’t have lasted much longer.
He said: ‘Elephants are particularly drawn to these mud areas and when moving towards the luscious vegetation they become stuck and sink deep into the mud, causing them to dehydrate and lose ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ circulation to their legs.’
Bradley White helps tie the ropes around the elephant’s neck after wetting the mud. When the rope is secured, the team begins to pull the five-year-old bull elephant out of the mud.
‘If they’re not found these animals will eventually ᴅɪᴇ or be eaten alive by vultures, hyenas, or any other predator that may be drawn to the petrified screams and bellows for help. The elephant is to get out of the mud pool as the rescue team pulls him by the neck. It took an entire team to turn the elephant around in the mud before they could attach the ropes to a car.
The poor creature fought for his life but sᴛʀᴜɢɢʟᴇᴅ to summon the energy after 12 hours in the mud. The Whites and their recovery team used 200 liters of water to cool the baby elephant and soften the mud which had begun to harden under the hot sun. Mud is washed from the elephant’s face and eyes by throwing water over it
‘We also had to soften the mud that surrounded him in order to pull him gently without damaging his legs as they were well trapped by fast drying clay. We had to pull him by hand for the first part of the ordeal so we could shift his weight and have him facing the vehicle for an easier recovery.’ he said
‘The only safe place to put the rope is around his neck. Elephants have a very strong neck that can take a lot of strain. When he was finally free and lay on the solid ground we had to act fast and get him to his feet, to allow the ʙʟᴏᴏᴅ to circulate. Towing straps were placed under his belly and with our team of staff, we heaved him to his feet manually.”
