A caring mother elephant was spotted helping her newborn stand back up after it stumbled several times while attempting to walk for the first time.
The elephant family—comprising a mother and her two calves—was seen going to the Chobe River in Botswana for a drink when the youngest calf, still unsteady on its legs, fell multiple times near the water’s edge.
Thankfully, the attentive mother was there to help, using her trunk and feet to carefully lift her baby back to its feet.
Charl, a 39-year-old photo host with Pangolin Photo Safaris, witnessed this heartwarming scene while on a boat ride. He described watching the mother and her calves interact for about 40 minutes.
“The mother and her two young ones were heading to the river for a drink,” Charl explained. “The smaller calf looked only a few hours old, still showing its pinkish color and struggling to stay steady on its feet.”
At the water’s edge, the newborn elephant tumbled several times, but its mother patiently assisted, using her trunk and feet to help the little one back up.
“They even crossed the river to one of the islands, and the tiny calf managed to swim the entire way with only its trunk poking out of the water,” Charl added. “It was such a special moment. We see many elephants in Chobe, but that was the youngest calf I’d ever seen.”
Charl reflected on the touching experience of watching the mother care for her baby and expressed a personal dream: “I still hope to witness a mother giving birth one day, but this was the next best thing.”
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