If not for the villagers who alerted the elephant rescue team in the Wilpattu National Park in Sri Lanka (2) the plight of a baby elephant pulled from a ditch might have been dire. As the wildlife officials arrived they estimated the calf had been trapped in the ditch for “more than 36 hours” (1) due to the state of dehydration the little elephant was in.

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After taking great efforts to locate the newborn elephant (its skin still mottled petal pink from birth) it was transported (during which an iv drip was inserted in its ear) to an animal care facility hospital for further treatment and recovery. Fortunately the calf recovered quickly and “completely” (1) and its herd was located.  

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The herd emerged from the forest as the arriving transport vehicle carrying the little elephant pulled over to the side of the road. The mama elephant anxiously awaited close by raising her trunk in greeting to the elephant rescue team as her baby “happily” joined her. (1)

The “sweetest reunion” (1) then occurred…

Bravo elephant rescue team. You are one of a kind.

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Images: from cc video by, and FULL COPYRIGHT BELONGS TO, Prime Wild “Rescuing and handing over the newborn baby elephant who fell into a ditch after avoiding the mother” (1)

Sources: 

(1) cc video by Prime Wild, “Rescuing and handing over the newborn baby elephant who fell into a ditch after avoiding the mother”  https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Rescuing+and+handing+over+the+newborn+baby+elephant+who+fell+into+a+ditch+after+avoiding+the+mother+Creative+Commons

(2) Wilpattu National Park  https://www.dwc.gov.lk/wnp/

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