In a touching scene captured on video, a young, orphaned elephant was saved from near-drowning after falling into a concrete drain near a South African mine.
The incident occurred at a dam at the Phalaborwa Copper mine in Limpopo, northeastern South Africa, where two mine workers discovered the distressed calf and quickly called for help.
Watch the video at the end.
Johann McDonald, a local animal rescue center member, responded to the call and assessed that the calf had been abandoned.
Footprints surrounding the drain suggested that adult elephants had tried to free the young elephant but were likely frightened away by the arrival of the miners.
Mineworkers Johan Bezuidenhout and Quenton du Plessis took on the challenging task of lifting the baby elephant from the drain.
The young elephant was finally freed after an exhausting effort involving both men and the struggling calf.
Shaken by the ordeal, the calf stood motionless as its rescuers gently patted and comforted him.
The men waited for the elephant’s herd to return, but when it became clear they wouldn’t, the calf was taken to the animal rescue center for urgent care.
Dehydrated and exhausted, the young elephant was transported by truck to the non-profit organization Elephants Alive, which has since provided him with the care he needs.
