Baby elephants must be one of the world’s cutest creatures, adored by all. In this video, a loving family ensures their youngest member safely crosses a river.
Garth Cook submitted this endearing footage to Latest Sightings. He filmed the action at the Sand River, in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.
Watch the video now:
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All shapes and sizes
As Garth’s video begins, we see a herd of elephants making their way across the Sand River. As you can see, the herd consists of individuals of all shapes and sizes.
Elephants are the world’s largest land mammals. Adult males weigh just shy of six tons and stand over three metres at the shoulder.
A long way to go
However, as the family group in the middle advances, we see that one of them has a long way to go to reach those dimensions.
To the left of the adult female, we see her youngest calf, estimated to be less than two years of age. At that age, they can still pass under the forelegs of their mothers.
Tight-knit family
Much smaller than the rest of his family, the little one struggles slightly in the flowing current. However, both his mother and siblings stay close by, patiently encouraging him.
Elephants are highly intelligent and display many traits similar to humans. For instance, they are very protective of their most vulnerable members, especially infants.
Successive offspring
To ensure the calf’s safe passage, his elder siblings allow him to stay closest to their mum. Incidentally, all three youngsters are likely the offspring of the large female.
Female elephants invest a huge amount of attention in their offspring. In most cases, daughters remain with their mother’s herd for their whole life. Accordingly, they develop deep and affectionate bonds.
Under Mum’s feet
Perhaps excited or anxious about the relatively deep water, the calf gets right under its mother’s feet. Sound familiar?
Well aware of her size, Mum does her best not to tread on him. For such large animals, elephants show amazing spatial awareness.
Oops!
As such, when the calf stumbles and falls, all but submerging himself, the family comes to a sudden halt.
Thankfully, the plucky youngster is soon back on his feet and the crossing can continue.
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Hard to master
Subsequently, as they proceed, you’ll notice that the calf’s trunk waves about wildly. These useful appendages are a fusion of a nose and upper lip, comprising up to 100,000 muscles.
Unfortunately, they don’t come with an instruction manual, and it takes up to two years for a calf to master its numerous uses.
In the interim, it serves as the elephant equivalent of a pacifier. Even adult elephants occasionally suck the tip of their trunks when they feel overwhelmed.
Tough & tender
Over and above this self-soothing behaviour, elephants also use their trunks to comfort one another.
Furthermore, they are extremely tactile creatures, capable of using these powerful tools to encourage one another tenderly.
Consequently, as they near the opposite bank, we can rest assured that this young calf will have all the support it needs to guide it through whatever other adventures life has to offer.