Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Human use digger to rescue baby elephant from ditch in dramatic footage

Footage shows one of the herd raising its trunk towards the rescuers after animal is saved

Wednesday 29 November 2017 19:36 GMT
Comments
Elephant mother 'thanks' people for saving baby

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

A baby elephant has been filmed being rescued by a group of people using a mechanical digger.

In footage posted online, the distressed animal can be seen attempting to clamber out of a deep trench.

A group of local men use the digger to scoop soil into the hole to create a path so that the elephant can clamber out.

When the animal rejoins its herd, one of the older elephants - possibly its mother - turns towards the group of people and raises its trunk in their direction.

Some viewers had suggested this was a way of saying thank you, but elephant expert Dr Joyce Pool from the charity ElephantVoices said the move was known as "periscope sniffing" - because of the shape the animal makes with its trunk - and was more likely a sign of distress.

She told The Independent: "Elephants use these most often when they feel threatened or uneasy and are trying to learn more about the threat they face.

"Though they may have understood that the people were trying to help, there was a lot of noise from the digger and people alike, that would have stressed them - in addition to their concern for a family member’s predicament."

At the end of the video, the animals turn and together walk across a river, to cheers from the onlooking crowd.

The footage is believed to have been filmed in India in recent weeks.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in