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Watch Elephant Family Rescuing Baby Calf From Drowning in Seoul Zoo Pool
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Elephants form deep family bonds and band together in a herd. They typically look out for the calf — who is raised and protected by the whole matriarchal herd. When a calf is in danger, the elephant family will do everything they can to protect it.
This was the case at Seoul Zoo in Seoul Grand Park in South Korea when a calf accidentally fell into a pool at the Large Herbivores Pavilion — where elephants, Watusi cattle and rhinoceros play.
The incredible calf rescue by two elephants was captured on video.
In the video above, you can see the calf dip its trunk into the pool and fall in. Immediately, a second elephant ran to the aid of the mother from the other side of the pool. They both circled the pool as the calf struggled.
At one point, a third elephant approached, but decides not to intervene. It is almost as if the elephant realized that the situation was being handled.
The pair jumped into the pool and quickly make their way to the drowning calf. The trunk of the calf is barely sticking out of the water. They corralled the calf and gently pushed its head out of the water. And they led the calf through the shallow end of the pool to safe ground.
Elephants love to swim and calves tend to be curious by nature, so getting in over their trunks is not uncommon.
In this video from March 2016 at the Kruger National Park in South Africa, see what happens when an elephant calf gets stuck in a waterhole.
Seoul Zoo is home to 2,700 animals from 332 species. They pride themselves in, “conservation and research to preserve our valuable animal resources for the next generation and conduct systematic and scientific research for preservation and breeding of globally rare species as well as endangered species in Korea.”
Perhaps they should keep a better eye on their elephants.
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