Animals have emotions too. They feel the pain and the anguish of getting separated from their loved ones. In this article, we will explore two such stories which will leave you teary-eyed.

The first story is about an elephant calf who fell into a ditch. The second story is that of a mother bear who fights with nature to save her cub.

The Herds of Majestic Indian Elephants Traveling

Elephants, or rather the original wild elephants, usually keep to themselves. They have little to no contact with the outside world. They eat, they fetch, they bathe, and they go along on their own. Their only enemies are the savage canines roaming the forests, but even they can only do so much to harm these huge elephants.

In India, though, elephants sometimes roam freely in rural areas, close to villages near the forests. These elephants are usually treated with respect, and no human dares to disturb them. Even the elephants do not tamper with the humans’ ways of life. So it’s a peaceful mutual living kind of situation here.

The Mighty Beings Travelling Towards the South

Towards the southern tip of India, near the Urulanthanni River, one can often see groups of elephants going on a leisure stroll. They usually travel in groups of 5 to 6; you can see elephants of all age groups – from the baby elephants cuddling close to their mothers to the much older elephants moving slowly towards the back.

The scattered villagers don’t seem to mind them that much, but everyone sure keeps an eye out to not anger them. They march proudly, shaking the ground with their feet. The elephants usually do not blow their trumpets unless strictly necessary.

The Adorably Waddling Baby Elephant

While the group was on a stroll near the Urulanthanni River, one small baby elephant was waddling its way through the herds’ legs. It seemed to be having fun while trying hard to keep up with the group. At one point, the group had to walk through, holding on to him to get through the river.

Things that follow are a bit unfortunate for the baby elephant. The baby elephant was so small, almost only 1/6th the size of their adult elephants. It was not used to crossing rivers and trudging difficult planes. So due to this and many other geographic reasons, the baby elephant fell into a hollow space between the land and the river.

When Realization Sunk In

It took the herd of elephants only mere seconds to realize that one of their group members was missing. It also took mere seconds for the baby elephant to understand that something was not right. It couldn’t move its feet freely, and there seemed to be land everywhere. The size of the hole was also constrained to the baby elephant.

The depth of the hole aside, the bottom of the hole was filled with thick mud. And this was near the river, and the mud was more challenging to move. The baby elephant had the feeling of walking in thick concrete with the mud hardening with each move. You can imagine how hard it would have been.

The Agony That Followed

By now, the baby elephant has reached a panicked stage. It started screaming in agony and tried very hard to move a little in that hole. However, it could not go up on its own. Even the baby elephant realized this but still was trying to move as much as it can.

When the herd realized that the baby had fallen into a ditch, they did not know what to do. Maybe they initially thought that it would just be a shallow ditch and the baby elephant can make its way out quickly, but after watching for a few minutes, they understood that that was not the case, and they started making noises too.

Its Pure Chaos and Anxiousness

As the adult elephants started screaming, all the members of the group became disoriented. The elephants did not know what to do or how to proceed. The screaming did not help; it rather only seemed to bring the baby elephant more fear and anxiety.

The baby elephant was now slowly starting to get tired. Its kicks and screams did not hold the same intensity as before. No matter how mighty even a baby elephant is, no one can keep up their energy for more than a few minutes in that situation with heavy mud dragging their feet down.

As the Hours Passed By

The adult elephants began pacing back and forth. They could peek into the ditch, but the slippery mud would make them fall into the ditch. It would only serve as a bad thing for both the adult and the baby elephant.

They strolled and paced around the ditch for hours. Not once did the thought of leaving the baby elephant alone pass their minds. Time was ticking, the baby elephant was tired, and there seemed to be no way to help resolve this situation.

Not Leaving Without the Baby

As I said before, elephants are kind and compassionate towards their kind. They work as a family and go to great lengths to protect their families. So no, they were not leaving the baby elephant in that ditch like that. Instead, they would stay and circle the ditch for however long was needed.

But just standing there does not help, does it? And these heavy four-legged creatures could not do anything on their own. These poor four-legged beasts do not have the sense of thought processing as much as humans do, so what will happen now?

The Sun Is Not Helping

The terrain was muddy due to the river but was the weather anywhere near close to raining? No. It may be good that it wasn’t raining, but the sun was no better. The adult elephants were getting tired of pacing back and forth anxiously in the scorching sun.

Whereas the baby elephant had long lost all its energy and had succumbed to tired whimpers. As the sun and the heat became stronger, the wet mud began to cake up, making the baby elephant moments more restrained and challenging.

Is There No Hope at All?

With the burning heat above and the thick mud in between, surrounded by the small restraining walls of the ditch, the baby elephant slowly started fading. It was, after all, a baby elephant. There seemed to be no hope for it.

The older elephants, though, still did not give up. They kept pacing around and looking over the baby elephant. They were looking for any drastic signs the baby many show. Once the baby elephant slowly started closing its eyes, the adults could not hold it in. They left thunderous screams collectively.

Giving Out Signals to Whoever May Hear

Animals can usually tell when a scream is that of distress and agony. The adults did not know what to do or who to call for, but they started giving out their danger signals. They were screaming and trumpeting hard so that anyone could hear and maybe help.

The agonizing screams of animals are usually hard to ignore. They never stop until their threat is removed. If there was anyone in the vicinity, animal or human, they could easily tell that something was not right.

The Loudest Scream for Help

You can imagine how these majestic animal’s screams would sound. They would travel through miles and even awaken people from their sleep. With such intensity, the adult elephants kept screaming. They had to get help and get their baby elephant out no matter what.

If you think in a certain way, it may seem that the herd of elephants screaming so that someone could dare to come near them when they are in such an agonizing state and be brave enough to help them is absurd. But they kept trying. Nothing stopped them.

Rising From the Slump

Hearing these screams from its herd members, the baby elephant, fortunately, felt a rejuvenated sense of strength. It opened its eyes and tried to climb back one last time. The combined screams created an inspiring vibe for the little soul.

But alas, the power of nature is so much more than what we can anticipate. The walls of the ditch were still slippery, and even though the baby elephant tried with its whole might for one last time, it sadly could not succeed. So it slumped back into the ditch with a sense of final defeat.

Their Screams Reached… Something

The loud and continuous screams traveled through the plains and the land to reach the local community and the villagers’ houses. As it was pretty far, the sound seemed disoriented, like traffic or music.

But as the sound did not stop and only seemed to magnify in volume, the villagers started to sport some concern. Some of them came out and tried to make sense of the sounds. They knew something was not right and that they had to go check it out.

Out to Check What the Sound Is

The locals started to gear up. They took what seemed helpful, woke up their neighbors, and started to go slowly and carefully towards the sound. They had to be very careful because if the sounds were from any rogue animals, all of them would lose their lives.

As the villagers went nearby the river, they could understand that the sounds were being made by a group of elephants but who would dare to go ask them what was wrong. They have to watch their foot too. The river area was not just for everyone, and it isn’t every day that you go help elephants with their troubles, right.

Group of Elephants: Spotted

The locals finally reached a spot near the river from where they could see the herd of elephants screaming. The sound now made so much sense. The herd of elephants was screaming and trying to say something. They were pacing around what seemed to be a ditch.

But now comes the question of what is wrong. Are the elephants just agitated, are they in despair, did someone get hurt, or are they just mad? Because imagine if a group of agitated elephants was angered even more. They would just walk over you to your death.

Careful Steps From the Locals’ Side

The elephants could kill them in a matter of seconds. Even if the locals had good intentions and stepped towards the elephants in concern, there is no way to tell if the animals will let them in. One small step gone wrong, and it will be utter chaos.

But looking at the way the elephants were screaming, the locals could understand that there was some problem and that they were calling for help. The locals who are villagers have at least a bit of brave and know how to handle wild animals while compared to the town folk. So they step forward with curiosity.

The Adult Elephants Could Sense the Locals

In any other scenario, the wild elephants would be wary of humans. They would protect their pack and throw threatening stances towards the humans, but in this case, they needed someone to just get their baby out of the ditch.

That instinct overpowered their wariness towards humans. They did not seem to be more angered or threatened. Of course, the beasts would not trust anyone blindly, but due to the day’s events, they had to use whatever help they could get. If the help comes from humans, then so be it.

Now, What Do We Do?

The locals were finally close enough to see what was wrong. They could deduce from the elephants circling the ditch and constantly looking into the ditch that there was someone of their own trapped in there. Their sorrowful cries just proved the point that it was a baby elephant.

But even baby elephants are pretty big for a normal human to carry on their own. Also, the ditch was slippery and small. It was a four-legged beast. It could not climb up if they dropped a ladder or a rope. How will they move from here?

Let Us Tell the Higher-Ups

The locals decided that it would be best to inform the authorities about this scene. Maybe the police would have the adequate equipment to get the poor baby elephant out. So, the locals informed the government officials in that area about this whole situation.

It was now evening, and the baby elephant had stopped moving completely. The adult elephant could tell that it was still alive, but for how long? The help seemed to be coming, but every second of the wait was torture. Some of the locals stayed back even as night fell upon them.

At Last, They Could See Someone Arrive

A significant amount of time had passed but finally, a caravan of cars was spotted at a distance heading towards the river. The locals immediately understood that it was the authorities on their way to help. Now maybe they could save the baby.

The locals gave way to the authorities, but the adult elephants seemed to be agitated at first. But as the authorities climbed down their cars and looked into the ditch with concern, the elephants understood that they were here to get their baby out.

The Severity of the Scene Was Worse Than It Seemed

The authorities who arrived were from the forest and wildlife department. They started assessing the situation and how to proceed. They needed space to work, so they had to move the locals a bit away, and even the herd of the elephants had to be moved a bit further.

This would have taken a lot of arm from the authority’s side and a lot of trust from the elephant’s side. Upon further investigation, the team concluded that they had to get more backup if they were going to save the baby.

Back to Square One?

The people came, but why are they not doing anything? It must have been the main thought in the adult elephants’ heads. As the situation was dire, the reinforcements had to be arranged in the town before they were sent to the village.

This of course, took a lot of time and waiting from everyone’s side. The wait took the whole night. Some of the locals stayed back with the authorities and the adult elephants. The dedication everyone showed here was massive.

Heavy Reinforcements Arrived!

After being exhausted for a whole night, the people on the scene could finally heave a sigh when they saw the huge vehicles approach. The wildlife officer who was sent back to town succeeded in getting the backup they needed – a heavy excavator truck.

Now they had the equipment they needed, and the area was free for them to started working. But how? The ditch was deep and tight. They could not harm the baby elephant further in the process of widening the ditch.

It May Seem Tough. But We Will Do It No Matter What

It had been a whole day and a whole night in that ditch for the baby elephant. It was beyond exhausted. No food, no drinks, and not even enough space to move. Trapped. The adult elephants and the baby were just getting anxious as the minutes passed.

But the herd had stayed there for the whole night. So there was no other option than to save the elephant now. The authorities could not turn back. They had to get it out no matter what it takes, so with renewed inspiration, they began.

External and Internal Forces Had to Be Controlled

Not just properly executing the operation, the team had to control the adult elephants and the onlookers. The elephants would, of course, get agitated at the sight of the giant truck approaching where their baby is being trapped.

The officers had to keep the onlookers and the elephants in check. A whole other team was needed to keep the adult elephants from going rogue and tampering with everything. This in itself was a chore, but the elephants seemed to cooperate.

Start Digging

The people on the team were experts with their machines. So they decided to dig along the walls of the ditch and remove the mud forming the walls. This would give the baby elephant at least some space to move.

But, even if they widen the ditch, they could not just lift the baby elephant just like that. But enough time had been passed, and it was no use waiting and thinking, so they finally decided to act.

Slow And Step Wise Precision

The excavator is a machine truck that has sharp hooks to dig into the mud. While this is a helpful thing while digging, they had to be careful not to let the sharp beaks touch the baby elephant.

If the elephant flicked or got agitated and moved too much, it would be a problem. So they had to go slowly and steadily. They did not want to harm the beast even more. It was already covered in mud.

Mother Nature Is Cooperating

It’s not rocket science that the hard mud would be harder to remove than normal grainy sand. The excavator and the operator had to be careful that whatever mud they are drawing in one try would not fall back in, and worse, on the baby elephant.

But well, the baby elephant had already gone through so much. So well, it looks like Mother Nature eased a bit of the process for the officers. They could remove some of the mud easily.

The Locals Help

Now that some of the areas around the ditch had been cleared and the ditch was widening, the locals put a helping hand in. They marked few spots where the mud had to be dug.

This gave the excavator operator and the baby elephant new hope. Everyone was working together and towards the only goal. Get the baby elephant out already.

Still Being Careful and Patient

The officers and the locals are now working together. One officer was assigned to order the locals on to what they could do to help. They were pleased to see the enthusiasm put in to help.

The ditch walls now formed a slope, so the area was vulnerable for anyone slipping in, or even the excavated mud could slip back in.

The Excavator Seemed to Do a Good Job

Whirring loudly and taking up most of the space, the excavator and the person inside operated with precision and ease. It seemed like an easy job to anyone looking from the outside, but the strings attached were huge.

If not for this heavy machine, many people had to get shovels and keep digging until the elephant was bought back, but how many days do you think this would take? A lot.

Things Were Going Suspiciously Smooth

Well, up until here, there seemed to be no problem, but when is anything so simple in life? They were dealing with a very delicate situation, and they were working on this for hours. So an unexpected problem arose, which led everyone back up for a while.

The whirring noise of the excavator stopped all of a sudden. The operator inside it tried starting it up again, but nothing happened. Everyone was confused for a while when the realization finally sunk in.

The Excavator Failed

It was much unexpected as the officials used the machine many times till now. What happened was an engine failure as they were working the machine dry for many hours.

Smoke was coming out of the machine, and weird sounds were emitted whenever they tried to start it up. But well, luckily, villagers in India usually know what to do in such tight situations. Some of them knew how to repair the machine, so it looks like there still is hope.

The Mission Had to Stop for a While

The repair of the excavator, of course, would take a while. They could not do anything without the big machine. Now that they had already started the process with the excavator, if they went back to shovels now, it would be a clash, and the ditch would not be smooth.

There were snacks and drinks provided for the workers. But now, as everyone stopped, the adult elephants did not understand what was going on. So they started screaming again. It was a hassle to tone them down.

They Could Not Wait Any Longer Now

They had taken enough breaks now. Another day would set on them if they delayed any more, making it two whole days and a night in the ditch for the baby elephant. They had to do it now, or the adults would straight up attack the workers.

The mechanics and the locals helping with the repairs sped up the process. The adult elephants pacing back and forth seemed to put a sort of pressure on them to work fast.

The Machine Is Back On!

With everyone’s help, the machine came back to life. The operator moved the excavator back a bit and tried switching it on and this time, it started functioning well without any weird sounds. Now that everyone had a quick break, they were back at their physical capacities to work.

Time was ticking, and the poor beast did not have any food or water. They were giving it hope, but nothing was happening, so the people had to speed up the process and make something happen as soon as possible.

Going Forward

Now that some dry soil had been created by removing the wet mud, they had to move the baby elephant to that dry part. The baby had lost all its energy, so the workers had to lend a hand.

Now that the humans were near to touching their baby, the adults seemed more agitated. The forest officers warned the locals to be wary of the beasts as they would step in anytime if anything went wrong and if the baby seemed to be in more pain.

Finally!

It took two whole days, a whole night, lots of local villagers, two teams of the forest department, reinforcements, unexpected fails, and get-ups, but finally, the team was able to make the baby elephant move out of the ditch onto the dry land.

The adult elephants now stood up alert and screamed but now with hope and support as their poor baby waddled tiredly out of the wet ditch onto the solid land.

The Much-Awaited Reunion

Once the baby elephant was totally out of the ditch, the locals and the workers did not waste a single minute to lead it back to its herd. There were much tearful trumpet cuddling and the baby elephant nuzzling into the feet of its herd elephants.

The humans watched in awe and cheered hard for the animals. They were very much relieved that the baby elephant was fine and now in the hands of its close-knit herd. It was really a moment everyone felt pleased.

Now That the Baby Elephant Is Safe, Time for Partition

The adult elephants were very much happy. They raised their trumpets to express their gratitude towards the humans and let out joyful shouts. Everyone was happy; some locals even shed tears of happiness. The animals were truly grateful for the humans. Usually animals are always wary of humans, but now the animals and the humans involved in the scene had newfound respect for each other.

The baby elephant was very pleased and was enjoying the attention and love everyone showered it with. It stood close to its mother, and the adult did not seem to unlink their trumpets any time soon. They did not want such an event to happen ever again, so they held it close and, giving one last shout of gratitude to the humans, they went on on their way.

The Trunk Salute

The animals reached the other side of the river but still looked back and raised their trunks in the form of gratitude and goodbye. Even the adorable baby elephant raised its small trunk. The elephants seemed to even form a line and raise their trunks in appreciation before turning back and going on their way.

This event will forever be remembered by everyone. The forest officials were very selfless and determined. It feels great to know that goodwill is still persistent. Let us hope everything always stays safe with the elephants and the humans involved.

Next – A Tale of a Mother Bear Fighting Against Mother Nature

This is the story of a mother bear with her two little cubs battling the harsh chilly waters of an almost frozen lake. The extent of nature’s hand, the sacrifice of a mother even though it is an animal, and the kindness of strangers will be mind-blowing in this story.

You may think that this is just any other tale of an animal getting stuck and being rescued. The events did not quite go as planned. This is a story of loss and hope. So read on

A Chilly Lake

Lake Vygozero is a freshwater lake in the northwest region of Russia. The story revolves around the events that happened on this lake on a not-so-fortunate chilly day. The temperature of this lake is said to go as down as -4 degrees Fahrenheit so you can imagine how harsh it is.

In this chilly lake, the tough mother bear decided to go in and take her two baby cubs with her. It is unclear why she wanted to cross that lake, but she seemed to have miscalculated somewhere because they did not get out in good shape.

A Terrible Decision and an Unfortunate Sacrifice

As the mother bear began swimming in the cold lake with her cubs clinging to her, it seemed that she could not go much far with the weight of her wet fur and cubs holding her back. To top it off, it was too cold even for a furred animal.

Now what sacrifice are we talking about? You may think that maybe she gave herself up, but no, its harsher than that. Mother bears are usually selfless and very protective of their cubs, but the life and death situation was so worse that the mother bear had to leave the poor cubs in the chilly lake and swim away to safety.

Tiny Creatures Battling Against the Strong Currents All on Their Own

The cubs were obviously shocked and disoriented. They were very young. They did not know what was happening and what to do. They could not even see their mother anymore. Their little bodies were not so strong against the dreadful currents.

They now started crying for help, but how much strength could their little bodies gather in such a dire situation? The terror and fright these baby cubs might have gone through in that situation. Seems chilling to even think about it, doesn’t it?

Is There Any Hope at All?

The cubs could, of course, not tell if it was a help or just the noise of the waters. They were too much engrossed in the extreme tides to even look at somewhere else. But fortunately, there rose a boat near the horizon.

The boat that finally found these cubs was a fisherman’s boat. The boat approached the cubs slowly, but as they got close, they could tell that the thread these cubs were hanging on was almost going to tear. The bears couldn’t even keep their heads up at this point.

Camera’s Eyes and Another Pair of Eyes Watch

The twist is that the mother bear was still close by and was watching the whole scene. She was big and mighty, and the fishermen were a bit scared of her, but they had to get to the babies. Wonder what was going on in the mother’s head.

The fishermen were thinking hard about how to rescue the cubs. Meanwhile, one of them got out their camera and decided to take evidence of the scene.

Start the Rescue Mission

The boat finally neared where the cubs were. They now had to get the cubs on board, but the ledge of the boat was too high, and the cubs were too tired to hoist themselves up.

Now, the fishermen came up with a plan to use their fishing gear. They lowered their fishing gear and hoped that the bears would grasp onto it with their teeth. If they grasped it tightly, they could hoist them up onto the boat.

Planning More to Help

This, of course, took the bears some time to catch onto. There were many factors at play here. There was the danger that the fishermen holding the gear would be pulled into the chilling water and the cubs stilled seemed far away.

But surprisingly, the bears seemed to get on with the plan. To help the movements of the bears and hold them against the tides, the fishermen now used their fishing nets and held them in place. But these fishing nets were made for fishes, not bears.

Rescued One Bear!

After a lot of pull and push, the fishermen caught one of the bears in the net and succeeded in hoisting it up the boat. Though the bear and the humans were still wary of each other, it worked for now.

They now had to calm the upset cubs. The one still in the lake was now more distressed. They lowered their nets once again, but this one was heavier than any of them could expect. It took a lot of pulling and strength to get the other one on board.

Cheers and High-Five’s, but How Long?

After a long exhausting ordeal, the fishermen could finally get both the cubs safely out of the water. But did they look healthy? No. they were shivering, and quite a bit disoriented still.

The fishermen tried their best to warm up these bears with what little warm clothing they had. Unfortunately, the bears were also taking up quite the space and weight on the boat. The travel back home seemed to be an even bigger hassle now.

Where to Take Them and What Happened to the Mother?

This was another risky thing. The fishermen couldn’t take the cubs home with them, and their mother seemed to be nearby before this. So, the fishermen slowly treaded the waters to where the mother was last spotted.

Sadly, they could not spot the mother bear at first, but upon further wait, they saw her swim along the shore to get to her cubs. The boat now perched upon the land, and the fishermen slowly lowered the cubs to the land and gave the animals space to reunite.

All’s Well That Ends Well

Finally, the mother bear came back to her cubs. We still do not know what her intentions were during the whole ordeal, but right now she seemed happy to be with her cubs. Let’s hope something like this does not happen again.

The fishermen too slowly retreated to their own path, but this event will be remembered by them forever. Thank God that everything ended well.