Rescuers Perform CPR on Giant Mother Elephant to Save Her Life After Falling Into Drain With Cute Calf

Rescuers Perform CPR on Giant Mother Elephant to Save Her Life After Falling Into Drain With Cute Calf

  • Vets used a crane to pull a stranded mother elephant out of a drain on a golf course in a marathon three-hour CPR operation
  • The 10-year-old bull hit her head on the edge of the concrete structure, violently knocking her unconscious
  • Vets in Nakhon Nayok, central Thailand, pulled her out of the hole using a cherry picker as her female calf watched
  • Dr Chananya said, "This experience touched our hearts and will be one of the most memorable rescues we've done"

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On Wednesday, July 13, wildlife rescuers in Thailand saved a pair of elephants, a mom and her baby, after they both fell into a maintenance hole.

Rescuers resuscitate mother elephant that fallen into a drain.
The crane is pictured putting her down after lifting her out of the ditch, with the baby soon to follow. CPR was then needed. Photo: Taanruuamchont.
Source: Twitter

Baby elephant falls into a drain

The incident took place on the outskirts of the Royal Hills golf course in Thailand's Nakhon Nayok province.

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ABC News reported that a passerby noticed that the baby elephant had fallen into the utility hole and alerted wildlife authorities and Khao Yai National Park authorities.

Lead national park vet Dr Chananya Kanchanasarak said:

"It was impossible to get near the baby while the mother was nearby, so we gave her three doses of tranquilisers, but she moved towards her baby before passing out and hitting her head."

As the calf fell into the drain, its mother became distressed and stood to watch while her baby struggled to get out. Rescuers began efforts to lift the one-year-old baby elephant out, but they could not proceed due to the presence of the anxious mother.

Park rangers feared the mother would cry for help from the 30-elephant herd nearby if they forced their way in to pull the baby out, so they called the vets.

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The rescuers jumped up and down on the elephant's chest
The rescue effort took three hours, with the mother elephant knocked unconscious after hitting her head. Photo: Taanruuamchont.
Source: Twitter

Mother elephant resuscitated

A tranquilliser was ultimately applied to the older elephant in an effort to destabilise her so the rescue could continue. A team set up a temporary barrier to prevent the protective and potentially violent herd from approaching. However, as a result of the tranquilisers, the mother elephant tumbled partially into the hole.

While the mother was passed out in the hole, the baby elephant - trapped the night before - suckled milk, which gave vets some relief. Rescuers went all-out to help the mother and baby simultaneously.

One group used a truck-mounted boom lift to pull the mother out, while a digger cleared away earth to allow the anxious calf to climb out from the slippery mud.

Several rescuers had to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation on the mother, ultimately saving her life, just as the calf emerged from the hole and was reunited with her.

The pair are believed to belong to an elephant herd travelling through the nearby jungle. Park authorities confirmed that after the rescue, the two returned safely to the jungle.

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Rescuers perform CPR on mother elephant to save her life
An elephant calf is stuck in a drainage manhole in Khao Yai national park, Thailand. Photo: Taanruuamchon.
Source: Getty Images

Decade after being set free, elephant returns to caretaker with a baby

In related news, Briefly News reported that an orphaned elephant was found two decades ago as a baby by volunteers of the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Kenya.

Stranded and alone, the organisation took the infant animal into their care. While at their nursery, a man, Benjamin, became the animal’s caregiver, Global Positive News reports.

Every day, Benjamin see to the welfare of the baby, later named Sunyei. Sunyei was not the only infant in the nursery, there were others too.

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Source: TUKO.co.ke

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