Watch the sighting here:
The tender display captivated Conrad Cramer so much that he sent his record of the incident to Latest Sightings. He filmed it while on safari at an undisclosed location.
Nap time
Conrad said he came upon a herd of elephants resting during the heat of the day. The scene’s tranquillity struck him, and he decided to sit with them for a while.
When the herd’s matriarch showed signs she was ready to move on, Cramer picked up his camera to record events. As his video commences, we see the mother elephant standing over her sleeping calf.
Wakey-wakey
Using her trunk, the mother elephant gently nudged her calf. Almost immediately, the calf lifted its head, giving the impression that waking the youngster would be a mere formality.
Eyes now open, the calf flared its adorable ears. Captivated by its performance, the mother assumed she had completed her job.
However, no sooner did her trunk break contact with her baby than the calf’s head once again flopped to the ground. Its eyes closed instantly, signalling that this little guy felt more sleep was in order.
Not impressed
However, Mum had already made up her mind. When her further trunk caresses failed to get a response, she knew it was time to be firm.
Her next tactic was not nearly as subtle. Still showing considerable restraint, she gave her calf a little kick in the backside.
This action had the desired effect and the calf was soon on its feet.
What about him?
Now fully awake, it almost looks like the youngster sought to distract from its disobedience by going over to wake its still sleeping sibling.
Still a struggle
The older calf was much quicker to wake up. However, if you’re an elephant, getting up is not always straight forward.
First, it had to role onto its belly. Then, gathering its legs beneath it, it was able to lift itself up to a standing position.
Moving on
By now, most of the herd had moved off. With that, the only thing left to do was catch up with them.
One of the most remarkable things about elephants is how, despite their size, they can disappear so quietly into the surrounding bush.
Soon the herd disappeared from view, leaving Conrad to wonder whether the whole sighting had been a dream. Thankfully, his video record proves it was not.
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Patient parenting
More so than most other mammals, elephants devote a huge amount of time and energy to raising their young. Firstly, at 22 months, they have one of the longest gestation periods. Only the Asian elephants’ pregnancy is longer at 28 months.
Being social creatures, all of the females within the breeding herd will contribute to raising the youngsters. This is called allomothering.
A calf may take more than two years to be fully weaned. Females reach sexual maturity at around 10-12 years and typically remain with their birth herd for life.
Young males may be forced to leave their maternal herds when they become sexually active. Often, young males form bachelor herds, attaching themselves to mature bulls within their home range.
Constantly moving in search of food, moments like that filmed by Conrad are all the more special for the static glimpse they give of these gentle giants.