Soutine, an elephant in Kenya, recently faced a terrifying ordeal while crossing a river with her 3-week-old calf.
The newborn lost its footing and was swiftly carried away by the powerful current. Fortunately, this courageous mother was not about to let her baby face danger alone.
A video captured by Matt Brierley, a photographer associated with Save the Elephants, shows Soutine bravely diving into the river to save her calf.
After taking several daring leaps through the water, Soutine reached her calf with her extended trunk.
However, the baby continued to fight against the strong current, struggling to keep its trunk above water to breathe.
Eventually, Soutine pushed her calf between her legs, shielding it from being swept away, and carefully guided it to shore.
While this heartwarming video demonstrates a mother elephant’s unwavering love for her baby, it also highlights the devastating impact of elephant poaching.
Soutine’s mother, Chagall, is believed to have been killed by poachers for her ivory, leaving Soutine to raise her calf without the guidance of her mother.
Chagall vanished in 2012 when Soutine was only around ten years old. Soutine and her sister had to learn to survive on their own.
David Daballen, head of operations at Save the Elephants, explained that Chagall’s disappearance coincided with the height of the poaching crisis in northern Kenya. Consequently, Soutine and her sister lived a difficult life on the edge of their herd.
Daballen emphasized that the death of an older female elephant affects the individual and has far-reaching consequences for the entire family.
Young elephants are left orphaned, inexperienced females lack the knowledge passed down by their elders, and their calves suffer.
Soutine’s struggles have persisted as a mother, living on her herd’s outskirts. Daballen believes she was attempting to rejoin her herd when she and her calf encountered the treacherous river crossing.
Despite her challenging circumstances, Soutine has proven to be a devoted and capable mother, as seen in her heroic rescue of her baby.
The video concludes with Soutine and her calf safely emerging from the river, walking along the shore, and the calf nuzzling its mother to nurse.
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