An adorable footage has captured the heartwarming moment a baby elephant trapped in a water hole is saved by his herd.
The incident happened in Kruger National Park in South Africa nearly 2½ years ago.
Watch the heartwarming moment in the video below.
In the footage, the little calf can be seen struggling to climb onto the higher ground but all of his efforts prove to be futile.
‘The elephant was probably a couple of months old. When the rest of the herd moved on after drinking, the little one had trouble getting out,’ Onne Veger, owner of Wild Wings Safaris, told Daily Mail in an interview.
The ledge isn’t too high but for a baby elephant who is just eight to ten weeks old, it’s not less than a challenge!
The tiny elephant stretches his front legs onto the higher ground, however, his hind legs aren’t long and powerful enough to land him there.
Seeing the futile efforts of her baby, the mother steps in to help him but she also fails to free him of the ordeal.
‘The mum hung around waiting for him but had problems herself and she didn’t know how to help the baby,’ Veger said.
‘She climbed in and climbed out again as if to show him out to do it, and he did try but couldn’t get a grip on the slippery side.
‘She seemed to offer her hind legs at one point to try and pull him out but his trunk was too short and not strong to grip onto her.
‘She was probably a first-time mum and you can see she is still young by the size of her tusks, so was rather inexperienced in handling her child.’
Seeing their agony, other adults from the herd enter the commotion.
‘Suddenly they are joined by an older female from the herd,’ said Veger. ‘You can see she is older by her thicker trunk and larger tusks.’
The mother and the older elephant then dangle their trunks behind the baby to push him as hard as they can.
Finally, the baby makes it to the higher ground, thanks to their combined effort!