A family of African elephants was fortunate to escape after becoming trapped in a muddy pool in Kenya.
Dr. Kieran Avery, 34, was part of a small team that rescued three elephants from the mud near a dam reservoir after they became trapped.
After receiving a call from the community, a veterinary surgeon and conservationist who has prior experience freeing elephants from similar circumstances took the complicated rescue of the three creatures.
The doctor informed us that it took the team two hours to free the trapped elephants at Oldonyiro community conservancy, Isiolo County, Kenya. It necessitated careful preparation for their process. ”
Dr. Avery said the operation entails putting the straps in a manner that allows the tractor to pull them out while also ensuring that an elephant with a trunk does not grab any of the team, which would result in serious harm.
‘We believe that the mother or one of the children fell in first, and then the rest went in to see if they could assist because they are so devoted to each other but got trapped as well,’ he continued.
Fortunately, none of them was injured; instead, they were all just exhausted, particularly the middle-aged one. It took a lot of effort to move them all at the same time because you can’t move one without having the others grab you.
‘We had to be very methodical and efficient,’ the staff explains. ‘They were all relocated at the same time and woken up at the same time.’ The smallest of the group stood up as soon as it was able, it was simple for it to do so.
‘The middle-aged one took ten minutes to stand up, but the mother did so more than 20-25.’
‘The family of five walk off one by one, with the last two children leaving together and the mother following some 15 minutes later. They would have been able to interact over long distances very quickly.
Overall, a successful operation. One thing to stress is the collaborative effort of so many organizations with diverse assets and skills.
Last month, a single female elephant got stuck in the mud in the same place in Kenya, with Dr. Avery also coming to the rescue with his team using the same tried and tested methods.
As of 2021, African elephants are considered to be at a heavy risk of extinction and are on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN ) Red List.
Habitat loss and fragmentation, as well as po.ach.ing for the illegal ivory trade, are both major threats faced by the rare creatures.
Today, just two species make up the African elephant genus – the African bush elephant, and the smaller African forest elephant. Four other species of African elephants went extinct between the 18th and 20th centuries, with evidence of their existence found only through fossils.
