In a touching scene at South Africa’s Addo Elephant National Park, a mother elephant tries to pull her trapped calf out of a muddy watering hole, only to need assistance herself to save the young elephant.
Almost submerged in mud, the calf struggled to escape after becoming stuck. Its mother quickly came to its aid, using her trunk to reach down and try to free her calf.
However, the calf remained stuck despite her efforts, prompting park rangers to step in and help with the rescue.
The scene was captured by photographer Katharina Hilgers, a German visitor from Frankfurt, while on holiday in the Eastern Cape.
Ms. Hilgers, 51, believed that another elephant may have accidentally nudged the calf into the watering hole, leading to its predicament.
She noted that the calf’s mother initially didn’t realize the distress but eventually focused on rescuing her young one.
“The mother finally noticed her calf’s struggle and tried to help,” Ms. Hilgers explained. “But she seemed inexperienced and led the baby toward a steeper part of the watering hole, making it harder to escape.”
The mother elephant attempted to push mud into the hole to create an easier path, but her efforts fell short.
For most of the incident, the two were alone, as the rest of the herd had moved on. Eventually, park rangers arrived with ropes and, with two jumping into the hole, successfully freed the young elephant.
Reflecting on the moment, Ms. Hilgers shared, “I saw the rangers as they drove past with the calf, heading to a quiet spot to reunite it with its mother. The rangers were covered in mud but had big smiles.”
