A baby elephant trapped in a mud pit for two days up to its ears has been dramatically rescued. A team from anti-poaching group Bumi Hills Foundation rushed to the rescue after being alerted to the stricken youngster’s plight by local fishermen. There they found a baby elephant struggling to keep its head above the sticky mud, while its distressed mother frantically made attempts to dig out her child. With locals saying they had first spotted the elephant two days before, but due to the areas remoteness the message took a while to reach anybody able to help. At the scene, the team from Bumi Hills Foundation attempted to reach the stricken baby by boat, but were charged at by the distressed mother. Forced to immobilise the mother using a dart gun, they were able to get up close after she was sedated. Both mother and child were in a bad way, affected by the searing heat of Lake Kariba in Zimbabwe. Realizing there was little time to lose, they frantically dug to free the baby elephant. And after 30 minutes of toil, the baby was hauled out using ropes tied around its belly. Eventually, the mother came round and after being checked over, she stumbled to her feet before walking off into the bush with her child in tow.
