Stuck in the mud might be an expression that you typically hear of in a joking type of conversation. But, for a baby African elephant and its mother this was no laughing matter. In Zambia, A baby elephant found itself in a sticky situation.
He had become stuck in a lagoon. The elephants mother quickly noticed that her baby was stuck in a terrifying situation. Her motherly instinct, even as an elephant, kicked in and she knew she couldn’t let her baby continue to sink in. Unfortunately, her efforts were fruitless. The mother sank in and became stuck with her baby. The mud began to quickly dry. They sank deeper and deeper into the mud.
Death seemed like the only outcome. The small elephant cried out in fear. Was this the end for them? Normally it would have been. Conservation workers don’t normally get involved when nature strikes against the animals in their care. But, today they were not about to let the two die together. They quickly snapped into action. Workers had to act quickly as the heat began to quickly dry the mud.
They made progress but as they pulled the calf to safety, it ran back into the mud just to be at the mothers side. It’s truly amazing to note the love between these two animals. The baby calf risked it’s life to stay with its mom through the ordeal. The workers were able to pull both of the elephants out of the mud. This story goes to show that even in the animal world – the love between a mother and baby is strong.
