Elephant mother gives birth and herd welcomes the baby

The clip of an elephant mom that just gave birth and her newborn being surrounded by the herd in a protective and welcoming way has been making the rounds in the web.

A man on a safari trip to South Africa had the privilege of witnessing wildlife behaving in a touching way. He captured the priceless moment when an elephant herd rush to meet the newest member of the group.

The lucky tourist watches the female elephant deliver her calf and the rest of the herd gathering around the two to welcome the newborn and shelter him from any possible dangers.

Fortunately, he had his camera ready and filmed the exciting sequence of events. The Animal Project Facebook page shared the video earlier this year.

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THE MIRACLE OF LIFE

After giving birth, the mother prompts the calf to get up, as the rest of the elephants gather around to meet the new individual of the big family.

Several people were gifted with the once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience such a magical moment. They didn’t seem to be bothered by the rain, as they were mesmerized by the miracle of life.

The adult elephants apparently were not only getting familiar with the new calf but also shielding him from any hostile element while the young animal came to terms with the fact that he was out in the world and no longer in his mother’s womb.

THE HERD IN ACTION

Elephants are known to have a strong sense of community, and this particular herd is no exception. These creatures are not only incredibly intelligent; they are also very loving and caring to each other.

The video shows the encircling elephants partaking in an instinctual behavior, as there weren’t actually any predators nearby menacing the newborn, but this isn’t always the case.

But Paolo Torchio, a professional photographer that specializes in wildlife was present when a group of elephants had to actively confront hyenas and lion that were lurking around the newborn using intimidation to keep them away.

The wildlife photographer spent an hour taking pictures of events that unfolded in the Amboseli National Park in Kenya, capturing the protective elephants as they stamped the soil and threw dusk up in the air.

“All those elephants were in high agitation, seriously nervous, and closing the formation shoulder to shoulder. A strong wall of muscles and tusks that can scare any kind of other animal. This is the formation they are normally taking in only two cases: under attack by predators like lions, or during the birth of a new elephant.”

ELEPHANT FAMILY TO THE RESCUE

A similar viral video of elephants in the wild shows another heartwarming example of how they look after each other.

When a young elephant gets stuck in a water trough and is circled by lions that are waiting for it to die, the herd rush to help the distressed creature out, and they never give up until putting the calf out of danger.