A mother elephant and her calf trapped in drying, quicksand-like mud in Kenya received help from a rescue team, including one member who flew two hours to Samburu with specialized equipment to help free the pair.
Here's what to know
The rescue began when people in Samburu contacted the Sheldrick Wildlife Trust about the stranded elephants, according to an Instagram post. Roan was sent to help as a member of the organization's Aerial Unit.
Getting the extraction straps into position required digging around the elephants. Rescuers from the Kenya Wildlife Service, Ol Malo, and Loisaba Conservancy worked together on that effort.
The mother proved much harder to pull free than her calf.
More background
Difficult conditions prevailed across Kenya, the trust said, with the rescue taking place at the height of the country's dry season.
The Aerial Unit had handled similar rescues before. In the year preceding the post, the team assisted in freeing 17 similarly stranded elephants.
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Both elephants left the rescue site after regaining their bearings following their release, the trust reported.
"When Kenya's elephants need us, wherever they may be, we will do whatever we can to answer the call," it stated.
For one commenter, the sight of people working together to save the pair offered reason for hope.
"Humanity is not lost. No, not yet," they wrote.
Where can I learn more?
Rescuers have helped elephants escape mud and reunite with their herds around the country and beyond.
• In Kenya, rescuers freed an elephant from mud before she charged their vet vehicle.
• In Kenya, an exhausted elephant escaped a drying waterpan with veterinary help and rejoined her herd.
• In India, a rescued elephant calf found comfort with another orphan after arriving wrapped in ropes.
• In India, fishermen rescued an elephant calf from the Teesta River and reunited it with its herd.
• In Kenya, Ushindi survived drought and became a devoted nanny to a baby elephant.
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