Mother elephant saved her baby from drowning in a nearby river

A mother elephant saved her baby from drowning in a nearby river, enlisting the help of a herd to pull the newborn out.

The photos show the calf curiously exploring the river’s shallows before falling as it tried to get a drink.

His head was barely visible above the water as his mother frantically tried to pull him up with her trunk.

The mother called for help, and at least five other herd members joined her, eventually successfully pulling the calf out of the water.

Photographer Wesley Wolmarans, 33, captured the dramatic rescue.

Wesley explained: “We found the tiny herd, and as we watched them approach, we noticed a small baby making his way over to the other side for a drink.

‘The child was still too young to use his trunk, so he tried to take it by mouth.

“The next moment, the baby fell into the water, and it was intense,” said the Gauteng, a South African.

‘The mother jumped up and started panicking as the child tried to keep his head above the water.

‘The mother’s frantic attempts to retrieve the young resulted in a sudden and loud trumpet, and within a second, the whole herd was underwater in search of the young.

‘Using their feet and trunks to find and push the baby up against the river wall – he was able to step onto firm ground, and fear was evident in his eyes.

The photos show the moment the submerged elephant was freed, as others gathered around him to protect him.

Wolmarans said: “Mom kept him out of the water after that.

‘I had a feeling of pure helplessness when I saw the baby struggling to keep its head above the water.

“But then it was pure joy that the cows got him out safely.”

It is not uncommon for young elephants to drown in fast-moving or deep water.

But the kind of rescue the Wolmarans witnessed was common in the wild, with older members of the herd keeping an eye on each other’s young.