BABY ELEPHANT STUCK IN A MUDDY HOLE GETS HELP FROM AN UNEXPECTED SOURCE

 

If anyone can think of majestic animals that may be present on the earth, that surely would be elephants. Though they are considered to be friendly and people can have a chance to be close to them in zoos and amusement parks, you can’t simply trust these giant animals. Many a time, people had suffered because of their aggressive nature but also have exemplified their friendship too. These giants need no one because for them their herd would be enough to protect them. There may be times that they may need to count on humans too. Such a condition seems to be seldom, but what would they do if they found themselves midst of the chaos that only humans can save them from? Will they take their help or move ahead leaving the member in pain?

Land Of Diversity

India is home to a large number of birds and animals. Several migratory birds call it their home in different seasons. They often amazed the visitors and the natives of the country. But there are certain animals who have resided here for countless years and is an eye candy in all the seasons. Especially, when it comes to elephants they have been residing in the wild as well as in the zoos for the longest period even the country could imagine.

The Territory

Elephants have never posed a threat to humans whether in wild or in the human territory but that doesn’t mean that these animals could never attack any human. The citizens have had several bad experiences too with these massive herbivores which had not just resulted in the destruction of the property but also had caused loss of lives.

One Such Incident

Elephants are one such species that are found in all most every part of the country. One fine day, when summers had just begun, a herd had come out after so long and were going towards the bank of Urulanthanni River, located near the southern tip of India. It was surrounded by the lush green forest which was home to local elephants and other wild animals too. People never roamed around the territory because they feared wild animals.

Well-Versed With Locals

As they have been around a lot, so the elephants and local people had become acquainted and lived in harmony with each other. Though the kids were strictly prohibited to go anywhere near. The massive creatures had become quite friendly with the locals and would often take eatable from them but that doesn’t mean that they would never attack the humans who would try to intrude in their territory.

Massive Creatures

Though they weren’t any threat to the locals as such, the moment they would pass by the ground would tremble because of their weight. Anybody in the vicinity would be frightened by the deafening trumpet that they would make. The roar could be heard in all the nearby villages and the kids would tremble on hearing the loud thunder.

The Baby Elephant

It was just another beautiful day and the majestic herd was moving towards the Urulanthanni River after so long. Though it was their daily routine to cross one or the other the river, the baby elephants would often find it hard. There was one particular mischevious baby elephant in the herd. This was the first time that he had to cross the river. Would he be able to cross it without getting into any trouble?

Crossing The River

But as he saw the length to which the river extended he became nervous and took a step or two with great attention. For the rest of the elephants, it was just normal so they encouraged the little one on every step. But it seemed like it wasn’t his day, while the herd crossed the river the young one stumbled and fell into the hollow space between the muddy area and the river. What would happen now?

The Pit

It had rained cats and dogs the night before so the river was entrenched with mud. This made it impossible for the baby elephant to even move, he roared in agony signaling danger to let the herd know. The elephants at first left the baby elephant to help himself out. But when they saw the baby wasn’t able to help himself, they ran towards him to help. Would they be able to help the baby elephant out of this situation?

Low Energy

Soon the herd realized that calf was in serious trouble. It was becoming difficult for the baby to move its leg because of the mud and as time passed the mud clamped his feet making it impossible for him to move a bit. The size of the hole was quite the same as that of the baby. He was constantly making efforts to come out and hence his body was draining out of energy. How would he be able to move out?

Fighting For Life

The rest of the herd too had circled around the hole now and were constantly finding ways to help before the baby passes out. They struggled to find any footing to guide the calf or help him get out. They felt helpless for a while as the couldn’t even go in the hole to help him. Would they be able to find out a way soon?

Anxious

The herd was constantly trying to help the baby elephant and started roaring to give him strength and courage to find a way out. But to their surprise, nothing of that sort was happening instead, they could feel that baby elephant was getting fatigued. The size of the muddy hole didn’t allow him to move so he had become a little hopeless. It was becoming hard for the adult elephants to see their youngest member of the herd in pain and need.

Countless Hours

The wait had turned into infinity and still, they weren’t able to find any help for the calf. The adult found themselves in a hopeless condition as they neither could go into the muddy hole nor were able to find any other source to help the calf. They knew they were worsening the situation by waiting for the calf to climb out by himself. What would they do now?

Compassionate Animals

Elephants are known to be very compassionate, they walk in herds wherever they have to go. Though they are quite massive and could threaten anyone alone, they must avoid some animals in the wild. Every member of their family is deeply valued and they find it hard to let go of any member and this was the youngest member of their family fighting for his life constantly in a hole.

Sun On The Head

The sun was almost on their head and still, they weren’t able to do anything. The baby showed a little sign of movement then and now but the mud in the hole had clamped his feet really tight that he wasn’t able to climb any footing with his strength. And the matter became worse when the sun made the mud thick and it began to cake up. It seemed like the baby elephant was doomed.

Worsening Situation

When the baby elephant seemed to lose all his strength, the adults of the family became alert and roared thunderously. They move around the hole so that they could find a way to reach the baby. As the baby elephant had been trapped for hours now and wasn’t able to move, he began to lose his senses. This made the herd really anxious.

Signals

In spite of being so massive, they could hardly be in any trouble but in a situation like this, they had to call out for help. So when they had no other option they cried out for help. Their roar wasn’t the one that could be ignored the people in the vicinity, at first they couldn’t understand and was afraid of the sudden uproar from the wild. Would they be able to get the signal the herd was trying to give?

Afraid

The villagers couldn’t understand that it was a warning signal and the herd needed their help. Instead, they stopped anyone from going near the jungle as they thought the herd wasn’t in a good mood and might attack if they saw anyone interrupting their peace. What people couldn’t understand was that it was a call for help. Would they be able to recognize the cry soon?

Gaining Energy

After hours of being stuck in the pit, the young one had lost all hopes of getting out but when he heard the uproar, he was filled with sudden enthusiasm and tried again to find a footing. But now as the sun was settling the mud was becoming slippery hence making it difficult for the calf to set foot on the side of the hole. He wasn’t in a mood to give up that early and jumped really hard but unfortunately, he slumped back to the hole.

Strange Noises

The local people were getting annoyed by the continuous trumpets from the distance. They had already restricted people from going into the jungle but still, the noises continued to come and disrupted their peace. After a while, even they were worried and wanted to go to the forest to find out what was happening. How would they find out?

Following The Noise

Though the noises were quite fearful, they had to make sure everything was fine. What if the noises were to alert them from some serious danger, but they could only figure out what was going on after going into the forest which was over a mile away. So they decided to go in a group with some shields in their hands to protect them from the unknown danger.

Finding Out

After the group of people had come close to the noises, they still couldn’t understand what was making the massive animals so agitated. They were afraid to go further but they wanted to know why were they making such horrendous noises. Would they go any near following the noise or would just leave?

Going Near

Normally, they wouldn’t have dared to go near the massive animals as they might have attacked them in defense even if the people weren’t harming them. But today they didn’t show any sign of aggressiveness when they came near the herd. Instead, their faces glimmered with unknown hope.

The Reason

When they finally cultivated the courage to go near they were stunned when they found out the reason why the herd was being so noisy. The youngest of all the elephants were stuck in the hole and struggling for his life. When they surveyed the whole situation they knew they wouldn’t be able to lift the baby elephant all alone. And if the baby elephant wasn’t given any help soon he might die in there. What would they do now?

Clock’s Ticking

As the sun was setting, it was becoming more difficult to see inside the hole. They were quite shocked when the elephant had stopped moving and lay there quietly. It was getting dark but the herd and the people didn’t move from their place and were still contacting people from the village to get help. Would they be able to get help on time?

Sight Of Help

The locals jumped with joy when they saw the help coming from a distance. Even the elephants too understood that people were coming forward to help so they quietly stood there and didn’t interrupt. As they could understand that they had only come to save the little elephant.

Complications

Soon a rescue team came in the caravan car who identified themselves as forest and wildlife officers. They directed the crowd as well as the herd to a side so that they could have a proper view of the hole in which the elephant was trapped. Upon analysis, they realized that they might need bigger equipment to help the elephant.

Going Back And Forth

Since such incidences were not so common in the part of the village, so the team first had to make some arrangements in the town before they could arrange help in the forest. Soon the sun had settled and no help could be provided to the baby so far. Though the adult elephants were patient and remained calm in the situation, they too were trying their best to save the calf.

Mission Starts

After waiting for a long time, the people in the village were exhausted and anxious about what was happening in the forest. It had been a day since they were constantly hearing the rumbling noises of the vehicle going back and forth in the forest. The wildlife officer who had come to visit brought back a full-fledged team of rescuers from the city. How would they carry out the operation?

Tools

The team brought a giant excavator in tow. There were several tools that they could use for the rescue mission. But they didn’t want to hurt the little elephant who was already fighting for his life in that muddy hole. The wildlife officers were doing their best to save the baby elephant from more pain. Would they be able to save the baby elephant?

Hard Times

It had been more than 24 hours and the baby elephant was still trapped in the hole. As soon as the dawn broke, the rescue team finally began their mission. They were observing the actions of the baby elephant and knew that they have to accomplish their mission as soon as possible because it was becoming hard for the baby elephant to survive there. The adult elephants were anxious and roamed around the pit. They were giving hope to the young one and hoped that the rescue team would take him out soon.

Controls

As the big cranes started to arrive in the forest making way through the village, the residents grew more and more keen to know what was happening. So they too followed the officials and reached where they were heading. As a result, the whole place had become so crowded and the baby elephant was scared to see so many people around. Observing this, the officials had to make people go before the baby got more anxious.

Thoughts

After clearing the way, they had to now think of a way through which they could safely lift the baby elephant. Although he was just a calf, it weighed approximately 400-600 pounds. They had to be careful with the choices of the types of equipment that would choose so that they won’t hurt the calf. They were doing all they could but time was ticking fast and they had to take the calf out immediately.

Typical Situation

They could observe that the mud had locked his feet making him unable to move, so they thought of ways through which they could remove the mud without putting the baby elephant into further risks. Soon they started to dig the sand to make it easier for the elephant to move a little still, it wasn’t that easy to lift the elephant by creating a little space. So they tried to make a pathway from the crevice and obviously it couldn’t be done in a blink of an eye.

Crucial Hours

Locals were confused with the way that the rescuers were working but it seemed like the herd was totally aware of what was happening. So without showing any signs of anxiety or aggression, they simply gave way to the massive machine that arrived at the spot. The machines seemed to evoke a glimmer of hope in the eyes of the herd and they knew that rescuers would save their youngest family member.

Mutual Cooperation

When they started digging up the mud and dirt out of the hole, they were extra careful that it wouldn’t fall back again. So instead of taking out the dirt all at once, patiently went forward to dig the sand slowly and steadily. This made the still elephant move a bit. Would they be able to succeed in their mission?

Helping Hand

Watching the rescue team at work, the locals too joined in the rescue mission. When they saw the excavator had created some space in the hole, a couple of strong men from the village volunteered to dig the marked area. The baby elephant’s hope was also building up after he had waited for so long in there. Watching him fight, this created a long lost hope in the herd.

Careful

The officers were too delighted to see the people as well as the herd coming forward as a helping hand. But they couldn’t just help themselves hence an officer was assigned to them in order to give proper orders to the villagers. They had to take care of the safety of the volunteers as well. Because they knew one wrong step would spoil their hard work. People were so helpful that they brought food for the rescue team. Hence slowly it turned into a community project.

Watching In Awe

It had been two days since the team had been working tirelessly to rescue the calf without showing any sign of fatigue. This not only inspired the locals but the herd too stood there to provide there support if needed. The people were in awe of the dedication with which the rescue team was putting their efforts to save the baby.

Trouble

When people, as well as the rescuers, were engrossed in working to make the process as quick as possible. They heard a large thump and the excavation machine just stopped in the midst. The operators tried to restart the machine again but they failed miserably. Now they weren’t able to take the process forward. Would they be able to stop the effort going in vain?

Engine Fail

After examining they observed that the engine had stopped working because of overheating. As a result, smoke came out of the machine. The only hope they had was now sinking as the sun was too settling for that day. Fortunately, there were some volunteers who knew how to fix the machine, so they came forward without wasting any more time.

Stopping For A While

The team was happy that they didn’t have to waste time and got the necessary help in no time. Luckily, they had all the tools and pieces of equipment with them so they started to make the engine working again. As they stopped for a while to take some break from the tiring process, the herd started to become anxious and the rescuers had to go close to the baby elephant to restore their peace. Obviously the herd was desperate to take out the baby elephant safe and sound

Getting Back

Sometimes the things don’t happen the way you want, no matter how much you try. The same was happening with the officials and the villagers. Repairing of the machine was taking time and the officials certainly couldn’t just sit like that waiting for it to function again. They knew they had very little time in their hands and they weren’t any close to taking the baby elephant out of the danger. So the officials as well the volunteers suggested another way to keep the work going while the others fixed the machine.

Miraculous Recovery

In no time, with everyone’s endless efforts and dedication, they were able to repair the machine. They all got back to work but now they had to be extra careful with the machine as they couldn’t afford to overheat it again. The mud was still there making it hard for the baby elephant to help itself.

Change In Plans

They had to make certain changes in the plan now, as they could see that the baby elephant was tired. The officials too warned the locals to stay away from the herd as they were now showing signs of restlessness so the officials feared the safety of the public. It had been so long and they weren’t able to succeed at taking the elephant out, this made the herd quite angry and they roared loudly deafening the people around them.

The Operation

What seemed like a few hours job soon had turned into hectic and crucial one. But it is rightly said that everything’s well that ends well. As the sun settled for the day so did the operation. Finally, they were able to make a pathway for the baby elephant to come out. The herd was now silent as they watched the baby struggling to get back on its feet and come out of the hole.

The Reunion

The mother of the baby elephant came running forward as he tried to get out of the hole. Seeing his mother, the child too became excited and tried to come out of the hole with whatever strength had left in his body. The whole herd was now calm and seemed to be happy. They didn’t even mind the presence of the humans among them. The locals were too overwhelmed when they saw the reunion.

Overwhelming

As the mother-son finally reunited, the other members of the herd too came forward to hug the baby elephant. This site was so overwhelming that people standing near the herd too became emotional. It wasn’t less than any miracle, the baby had been in the hole for almost 2 days. Still, it didn’t leave the hope and now he was out of danger and with its family.

Realization

The people were amazed as they saw the herd circling around the youngest member. Nobody could think that the animals too had so many emotions just like humans. They finally started to move in a pack and briefly looked at the officials as well as the villagers as if they were thanking them for their help. When the came near the river they made sure that mishap wouldn’t happen again.

GoodByes

The baby elephant didn’t leave the side of his mother and remained glued to her. Throughout the whole excavation process, it became quite obvious that they too value each member of their family and wouldn’t leave any member of their family in pain. Such dedication is not even seen in humans and here the animals were showing such compassion.

Happy Endings

Finally, they bid a final goodbye to the rescuers and the villagers. The baby elephant was starving with hunger and so were the adult elephants. They needed to restart the procession right away. The baby elephant hid among the adult ones and they made sure not to take any more risk as they had enough adventures already. The villagers too thanked the officers for coming at such short notice and helping the poor baby elephant. As the stars glimmered in the sky, the officials too started to pack and heard huge trumpets of the elephants from a distance. They knew they were showing their happiness and wondered if the baby too had the strength to trumpet now.