“This experience touched our hearts and will be one of the most memorable rescues we’ve done.”
This is the touching moment when a mother elephant was saved by veterinarians performing CPR on her as her young daughter watched.
The 10-year-old bull and her one-month-old calf had fallen into a concrete drain in central Thailand when it was pouring rain.
The pair fell into the 7-foot-deep hole as a result of the storm’s muddy, damp grass.
Veterinarians used a cherry picker to rescue the animals after torrential monsoon rain nearly made it nearly impossible to reach them.
The epic three-hour rescue attempt to get the elephants to safety and then save the mother is captured on incredible video.
“It was impossible to get near the baby while the mother was nearby, so we gave her three doses of tranquilizers, but she moved towards her baby before passing out and hit her head,” said lead national park veterinarian Dr. Chananya Kanchanasarak.
The mother had also “regained consciousness after being stimulated by both me and the baby”.
The park officials phoned the veterinarians out of concern that the mother might scream for assistance from the surrounding 30-elephant herd if they attempted to extract the infant.
In order to stop the protective and potentially aggressive herd from approaching, a team member constructed a temporary barrier.
The young elephant, who had been trapped the previous night, suckled milk as its mother slept off in the hole, providing some respite to the veterinarians.
The vets continued their work after using a crane to remove the animals from the filthy ditch.
Three veterans leaped on the mother as soon as she landed safely to resuscitate and awaken her since the impact of hitting her head may have been harmful.
Fortunately, the elephant’s mother woke up.
Park guards and veterinarians departed the area to provide room for the jumbos to rejoin and join the vast herd.
As the woman and her child retreated back into the jungle, happy rangers and tearful veterans could be seen.
“Despite the obstacles, the mother did not leave her baby’s side.”
“This experience touched our hearts and will be one of the most memorable rescues we’ve done.”
The vet said that both “mother and baby are safe” and she thanked people for the “hard work of all parties involved in the rescue.”