Life in the wild has always been fraught with dangers, and with predators targeting the young, old and weak, often it’s only the strong that survive. But the strong might not always be the obvious suspects.
This elephant, named Vutomi, proved herself strong enough to keep up with her herd, despite having lost one of her hind legs. Her strength allowed her to lead a normal life with the rest of her herd, which continued to support her.
A 31-year-old content creator for the Zuka Private Game Reserve named Dylan Pons took this footage of Vutomi with her herd at the Nsemani dam, and sent it to Latest Sightings.
A Nice Day In The Water
Vutomi wasn’t immediately obvious in among the throng of elephants around the water at the beginning of the footage. There were so many of them that locating a single individual would have been difficult for anyone.
Most of the elephants had clearly been swimming in the water and had lines running across their flanks signalling how deeply they’d been submerging themselves.
They were milling around on the banks of the dam, no doubt having fun as they refreshed themselves by drinking the water and cooling down with a swim.
Keeping Up With The Herd
When Vutomi herself did come into view she’d clearly swam in the dam with the rest of the herd. A dark waterline ran around her flanks showing that she’d submerged most of her body and head in the water.
She was walking along the bank of the dam with laborious slowness as a result of her disability. Exactly what caused the loss of her leg is unknown, and will likely remain so due to the various contending causes.
A failed attack by a predator might have resulted in her injury, or she may have run afoul of a snare trap which left her struggling along on three legs. Regardless of the cause, Vutomi had remained active, and managed to keep up with her fellows.
Rambunctious Play
For younger elephants, time spent in the water meant time to play. While the adults in the herd like to relax and cool off by avoiding the heat of the sun, the kids like to wrestle, spit water at each other, and splash about.
With all of their limbs submerged in the water, it’s difficult to tell if Vutomi joined the scrum with the other elephants in the herd that were a similar age to her.
At the water’s edge she stood with a friend that had come to check on her, perhaps making sure she was alright after participating in the games, or joining her for a moment of quiet repose watching the others at play.
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Strong Social Structures
While Vutomi was showing considerable ability by keeping pace with the rest of her herd, any hungry predators would quickly single her out as their best chance for a meal solely due to her inability to move as quickly as the others.
For other animals, this disability might have been a death sentence, but elephants have strong social ties in their herds that make them more than willing to help each other.
In the event of an attack, Vutomi would be ushered to the center of a protective circle with the rest of the calves in the herd, where the adults would do their best to protect them. Because of this strong societal structure, it’s entirely possible for Vutomi to make it past childhood.
Remember that injured animals might become stressed or dangerous quicker than others, so it’s important to give them their space, and ensure any sightings are reported to the relevant officials who may be able to assist the animal.