On July 13, a team of veterinarians and staff from Khao Yai National Park in Thailand carried out a dramatic rescue operation involving a mother elephant and her calf that had become trapped in a drainage ditch.
The rescue took place amid heavy rain at Khao Yai National Park in the Nakhon Nayok province on July 13. Initially, only the one-year-old calf had fallen into the roadside drainage hole.
According to the staff, the mother elephant was confused and could only watch her calf, but eventually fell into the ditch herself after being sedated.
Dr. Chananya Kanchanasarak from the Khao Yai National Park Veterinary Department stated: “We couldn’t approach the calf while the mother was nearby. Therefore, we administered three doses of sedatives to her. However, the mother moved closer to her calf before losing consciousness, causing her head to become trapped as well.”
The rescue team used a crane to lift the mother elephant out, then climbed onto her to perform resuscitation.
Image of the calf trapped in the drainage hole at Khao Yai National Park on July 13.
After lifting the mother, they used an excavator to clear the dirt around the hole. This was to help the calf climb out and avoid the slippery mud.
After escaping the drainage hole, the calf approached its mother to nurse. The mother quickly regained consciousness, and both were returned to the wild. The rescue team spent three hours completing the mission. Dr. Chananya mentioned that this was “one of the most memorable rescues we have conducted.”
