As a moving song from the original Lion King movie played, the workers tried their best to free the baby elephant as he was sinking deeper. A small group of elephants, some adults, and babies overlook the situation, likely worried about the baby elephant that was trapped in the mud. In the video, the baby elephant is feeling weak from trying to free itself, before giving up and putting its life in the worker’s hands. The park workers first tried to free the elephant using a large stick, but this wasn’t working the baby elephant was becoming slightly distressed from this method. After the elephant tried to pull itself up, it appeared to get tired and rested its head back down onto the mud. The group of adult elephants, with no doubt that one of them was the trapped elephant’s mother, stood watching as the park workers tried to free the baby elephant from the muddy trap. After the stick method failed, one of the Chobe National Park vehicles drove through the mud with a rope and pulling system attached to the back. This was brave for the park workers to do since there is a risk that the wheels could have gotten stuck into the mud, leaving not only a trapped baby elephant but a vehicle too. The baby elephant was becoming increasingly weak, not lying on its side in the mud, with the top part of its body freed.
Finally Free
The park workers attached the rope to the elephant and the driver of the vehicle started to drive slowly to pull the baby elephant out of the mud. After many attempts to free the trapped baby elephant, this method seemed to work, and the weak and distressed elephant was soon freed from the mud. Even after being freed, the elephant didn’t seem to move or get up. The park workers began dislodging the rope with a shovel to untie it properly and one proud worker even patted the baby elephant on the head, glad that he was finally okay. As the park workers watched the baby elephant’s behavior, it was clear that he wasn’t getting up on his own even though it was trying to wiggle itself up. One worker decided to help push the baby elephant up from the side, and this seemed to work. Once the baby elephant was standing up, it gave one last grateful look to its rescuers, no doubt thankful for saving it. It then swished its tail and began to walk toward the herd of elephants to reunite with its family. This situation could of been dangerous for the baby elephant if it had sunk further into the mud or had its trunk stuck, but workers forutunely located the baby elephant and rescued it in time.
