The poignant moment at Buckler’s Africa Lodge might have been missed had it not been for Ting Vision, an animal spotting system set up at the reserve.
Crocodile River is abound with life and for this reason provides excellent sightings. Only, it’s not always possible to physically sit in one’s vehicle or a viewing point by one of them for the entire day to fully appreciate the abundant life which comes to and from the water.
This is why we set up our Ting Vision system, an AI animal detector, at this specific river location in the reserve. It would seem our efforts are already paying off!
Elephant herd settles by river for refreshing wade in the waters
A herd of elephant came down to the river to wade in the cool waters, and enjoy a refreshing drink. They were accompanied by a few calves. They were clearly the pride and joy of the herd, judging from the way the adult elephants watched and fussed over them.
Young elephant falls awkwardly on its side
The little ones enjoyed splashing around in the waters, however, seemed to struggle a little to get out afterwards. This was mostly because there was lots of sloppy mud at the water’s edge; and lots of mud means lots of slipping and sliding!
Get our Best Sightings as they Come in
One of the younger elephants slid onto its side as it tried to get out to higher ground after some playful splashing in the waters. It lay momentarily in an awkward position before attempting to get up again.
Herd members come to the rescue
Fortunately elephants are social animals with strong bonds between herd members. The other herd members noticed the elephant was struggling and immediately came to the rescue!
One could be seen moving up behind it, and closing in from the back, to push it from behind and help it back up onto its feet.
A larger elephant, possibly its mother, then turned to see the commotion and having compassion for the struggling younger elephant, started to move towards it with great and purposeful strides. Getting this elephant onto its feet and out of the mud was going to be a team effort!
Elephants unite in efforts to assist struggling elephant
The mother elephant approached from the front, while the other herd member, a much younger animal, pushed from the back. The struggling elephant was soon standing quite securely and able to move forwards onto the grassy area near the river.
Heroic efforts pay off as herd member exits mud
It was a heroic effort from the herd and a memorable moment which we are grateful to have witnessed. While we would rather have been there ourselves, one of the perks of this AI system is that we got to witness the action in real-time; and see the precious moment which years before, without technology, might have never been seen by human eyes.
The herd gradually moved from the waters and on to graze, but we were reminded of the many reasons we love elephants; one of these being their visible love and respect for one another.
The emotional world of elephants has fascinated scientists and wildlife observers since time immemorial. These awe-inspiring animals are known for forming some of the deepest social bonds in the animal kingdom, and their relationships often resemble the loyalty and care seen in human families.
Elephants live in tightly connected family groups led by an older female known as the matriarch. These groups usually consist of mothers, daughters, sisters and young calves who remain together for most of their lives.