These photos show how a group of volunteers rescued an elephant that had fallen into a sewage drain.
The baby elephant had accidentally stepped into the 3-foot-by 4-foot channel during the night at Ugab Camp in Namibia and found itself too deep to get out.
Guests and staff only found her the following day, and they quickly began trying to help her.
I’m stuck! Guests and staff at the Ugab Rest Camp in Namibia found this elephant cow trapped in a sewage drain when they woke up one morningTrapped: The elephant cow had accidentally stepped into the three-foot by four-foot channel during the night and found herself in too deep to clamber outTight spot: As this picture shows, the ditch was barely big enough for the trapped pachyderm to move her legs
Reaching for tubes and shovels, they tried to keep her cool by dipping her in water and then dusting her off.
But after help failed to arrive, volunteers began shoveling sand and rocks into the ditch, hoping they could lift it up enough for her to step out.
Archie van der Merwe, who runs Laramon Tours, witnessed the elephant’s 11-hour challenge.
“We couldn’t stand around any longer and watch the animal in pain, so we decided that the pump in the rest camp’s swimming pool could drain the water, which was knee-deep,” he said.
‘We then filled it with sand and rocks so the elephant could get to higher ground.
Ahhh, refreshing! Volunteers keep the trapped elephant cool using a hose after they found her in the morning
The hot African sun: They then shoveled dust onto the trapped animal, also an attempt to stop her overheatingResourceful: Volunteers drained the water from the ditch using the hose kept to fill the camp’s swimming poolAttempts: It was hoped that draining the knee-deep water could help her get a foothold to step outA new plan: Sand and rocks are used to help the elephant climb clear of the sewage drain
Thanks: A rescuer keeps the elephant cool using a hose as she tries to work out how to climb from the ditchFoothold! The elephant tried placing her feet in different spots around the drain to lift herself outHere we go! After volunteers filled the ditch with rocks and sand, the elephant found a way upHard work: The elephant heaves her great mass from the tiny trench where she was trapped for so longOne step at a time: Volunteers sprayed her with water throughout to stop her from getting too hot in the sunGosh this is hard work: With three legs out of the ditch, she stops for a break to bask under the cool water
Her knees are just below the point where she can bend them, so a little higher up would do the trick.
After another hour in the hot Namibian sun, the water was pumped out, and volunteers threw rocks into the hole to fill it up.
She didn’t want to move, so they threw sand in as well, compressing the stones until it was about half a meter higher.
She seemed to understand what they were doing as she was never tried anything aggressive toward them.
Freedom! After several hours of hard work, the elephant strolls clear of the sewage drainThanks, guys: Volunteers kept up their spraying with the hoses to make sure she was not getting too hotGrateful: One man at the scene said the elephant’s good nature suggested she understood she was being helped
After three hours, the elephant suddenly stood up on her hind legs and started climbing out.
Mr. Van der Merwe added: “It’s totally worth the effort.”
All the rescuers then went to the swimming pool to cool themselves and have a drink to celebrate her rescue.
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