Elephant digs a hole for 11 hours straight to save her baby

This elephant’s story shocked the inhabitants of a village in India. They really didn't expect to come across what they saw in the hole.

Elephant
© Unsplash
Elephant

This elephant’s story made a strong impression on the inhabitants of a village in India in 2015. For 11 hours in a row, they witnessed an extraordinary scene. The pachyderm was exhausted from digging a hole. They were stunned when they found out why.

Discover our latest podcast

Elephants have an extraordinary sensitivity

The sensitivity of elephants has been proven. Elephants are particularly intelligent and live in communities, where they are prepared to do anything for the group.

If one elephant has a problem, the whole herd becomes involved, such as when a baby elephant is in danger or attacked by a predator. In India's Chatra district, villagers are used to the presence of elephants. They regularly see herds of elephants passing through during migration. But one elephant's behaviour really caught their attention.

Why dig a hole for 11 hours?

For more than 11 hours, villagers observed the pachyderm working in a hole. It seemed to dig deeper and deeper until it was exhausted. Only at times did it pause and collapse to the ground from exhaustion. But eventually, it would get up and continue digging the hole... Leaving all the people who were watching the scene wondering why.

Curious and distraught at its palpable distress, the villagers, led by a man named Jitendra Tiwari, eventually lured the elephant further away with food trucks in an attempt to see what was keeping it in the mud. If they had taken the risk of approaching without a distraction, it is likely that the animal would have become aggressive, so they chose the foolproof technique of using food.

The villagers rescue a baby elephant

When they were finally able to get close, they were shocked. In reality, the elephant was a female elephant, and she was not digging a hole, but trying to save her baby elephant that was stuck in the mud, in vain. Because the more she dug, the deeper the baby elephant sank...

Tiwari explained:

We took the opportunity to remove the pile of mud near the well that made it difficult to rescue the baby elephant.

Then they had to get the baby out. After returning to the edge, the mother had no trouble retrieving her baby... full of mud, but safe and sound.

Elephants Come to the Rescue and Help Mother Save Her Baby Elephants Come to the Rescue and Help Mother Save Her Baby