This Baby Elephant Was Rescued In An Incredible Way
Elephants are quite tough and robust animals, but a baby elephant isn't as strong as its adult counterparts. Elephant calves may be resilient, but they still need the support of their herd to survive. That's why it's essential to reunite lost baby elephants with their families if they happen to get separated for some reason.
One baby elephant in Africa was sadly abandoned by his herd. Luckily, an unexpected savior came by to save the day.
He Got Separated
This little elephant started out his day with his herd on the Addo Wildlife Sanctuary in Africa. After walking around in the heat for a while, the elephant herd stopped at a natural pool to bathe and drink water.
The baby elephant was playing in the water when suddenly, he started to sink into the slippery banks of the river. He tried to get out but he wasn't strong enough. It looked like he had gotten stuck.
A Little Boost
The baby elephant thrashed around in the mud, but it was no use. As hard as he tried, he just couldn't free himself. He really was in a sticky situation. The herd tried to help him. The older elephants used their trunks to push him onto the grass.
Their efforts were sort of working. They were stopping the baby from sinking into the mud even further, but they couldn't push him to safety. They weren't making any real progress.
Help From Afar
One by one, the adult elephants tried to pull the baby out of the mud, but it was no use. They started calling to the rest of the herd for backup. All of the elephants were clearly in distress. They didn't want to leave the baby behind, but they had to keep moving if they wanted to avoid predators.
The baby was still stuck in spite of all their effort. Then they saw something coming towards them from afar.
Standing Their Ground
That thing coming towards them was a Jeep driven by human rescuers. The elephants didn't know that, though. They thought that this dangerous-looking vehicle could be a threat. In an attempt to protect the baby in distress, the elephants all formed a circle around the little one.
The men drove the Jeep around the elephants, trying to break up the herd and figure out what was happening. The elephants wouldn't let them through, though. They were standing their ground.
Curious Onlookers
There were some tourists in the area when this interaction between the Jeep and the elephants was going down. They had been around the river earlier, but they decided to keep their distance to avoid bothering the elephants.
Now they were witnessing an incredible story with an unpredictable ending. They knew it would be dangerous to get any closer, so they watched from a distance. They were getting quite the show. It was an interesting day in Africa.
Trying To Intervene
The people in the Jeep kept trying to penetrate the circle of elephants and get to the baby for what seemed like hours. The elephants put up a good fight, but after a while, the younger elephants got tired and started to run away from the Jeep.
The older elephants had to choose between fleeing the scene for their own safety or staying to protect the baby. The Jeep wasn't giving up. The baby was still trapped.
A Difficult Decision
The older elephants were backed into a corner. They were forced to make. a very difficult decision. Eventually, after standing strong for what seemed like hours, the older elephants chose to leave the baby with the Jeep.
The elephants didn't know that the people in the Jeep were there to help them. To them, this was a scary encounter with a potential predator. The baby was terrified. He became frantic and desperately tried to free himself.
They Were There To Help
Luckily for the baby elephant, the men in that Jeep were there to help him. They were actually rangers at the sanctuary who had heard the animal's cries for help. There was no way they could intervene without causing the rest of the elephants to abandon the little one.
These men were now on a rescue mission. They were going to do everything in their power to free the baby elephant and reunite him with his family.
A Difficult Task
The rangers tried several different tactics to free the baby elephant. First, one of them got into the water and tried to dig out the mud around the baby elephant's legs. The mud was really thick, though, and every time he pushed it away, more mud came flooding in.
Next, they tied a rope to the elephant's legs and tried to pull him out. Sadly, the baby was too heavy and the men were unable to move him.
Finally Free
Eventually, after hours of struggling, the men in the Jeep were able to free the baby elephant from the mud. Now that he was free, he just had to find the rest of his herd.
The rangers knew they couldn't leave the baby alone while they searched for the herd. Their best option was to tie the elephant up so he couldn't run off while they went to look for his family. They didn't want to lose him too.
The Kindest Way
It might sound cruel that the rangers chose to tie the baby elephant up, but it was actually the safest and most humane action to take. They needed to find the herd, and couldn't take the chance the baby would run off on its own or attack one of them.
Remember, while these elephants were safe in the Addo Wildlife Sanctuary, they were still wild animals. And this elephant in-particularly had just been through a traumatic experience. It wasn't an easy decision for the rangers to make, but they knew it was the right one.
He Wasn't Happy
As you could probably guess, the baby elephant was very happy with being tied up moments after being freed. He lashed out and used all his remaining strength to try and break his bonds.
If he was older and bigger, he probably would have been strong enough. Today, however, size mattered. Try as he might, he wasn't going anywhere. His fate was now in the hands of the rangers, even though he didn't trust them yet.
Running Out Of Time
This was easily the worst day this baby elephant had ever experienced. And if the rangers didn't reunite him with is herd soon, it would only get worse. Elephants, like humans, can suffer from PTSD, and this poor animal was a prime candidate.
According to trans-species psychologist Gay Bradshaw, "You have sustained psychological trauma, (but without) any of the traditional healing structures of the elephant family and culture." All this baby had was the rangers who had saved him. Realizing there was nothing he could do, he finally calmed down.
Human Emotions
Part of the reason elephants can be affected so profoundly by trauma is because they experience emotions similarly to humans. As Bradshaw puts it, "elephants and humans really share the same processes that govern emotion, cognition, and consciousness."
We don't know if the rangers were aware of this, but that didn't change the urgency of the situation. Night was coming, and the last thing they could handle would be watching over the baby all night. Of course, they would if it was necessary.
Slowly He Became More Trusting
The next big step for the rangers in their reunion mission was to gain the baby elephant's trust. After so much time struggling in the African heat, they realized the baby was probably dehydrated.
One of the rangers grabbed a mini pool and filled it with water. When it was close enough to the elephant, he reacted instantly. Without hesitation, the baby elephant's trunk was in the water and he was drinking with glee. For the moment, a truce had been reached between the rangers and the animal.
Going Back To Basics
With water at his disposal, the baby elephant was finally able to take care of himself. Not only did he drink until he was no longer thirsty, he also sprayed himself cool and clean.
The cold water on his back was the perfect way to fend off the heat of the sun. Now that his mood was better, one of the rangers was even able to get a closer look at him. It was vital to make sure this elephant was healthy after the stress-filled day.
Calm For A While
For the moment, everything seemed calm. The baby elephant was drinking, splashing, and bathing himself. The rangers were overwhelmed with relief, even if the job wasn't done. As the day continued to pass, they noticed that anytime the baby elephant heard a noise, he looked around.
The baby elephant might have been healthy, but it became clear he wasn't happy. He missed his family. Every noise could be them calling out for him. It's possible that even though the rangers ran them off that they were still looking for him.
Making The Right Noises
Amazingly, the next sound the baby elephant heard was the one he'd been waiting for all day. His herd was calling for him. He once again tried to break free of the ropes that kept him trapped.
The herd was close, but it still would have been too dangerous or the rangers to let the baby loose to find them himself. Soon the baby elephant would be reunited with his family, leaving our story with the happiest ending. First, though, they still needed to find where the herd call was coming from.
Finally, A Lead
Remember how we told you there were tourists watching everything happen? They knew where the baby elephants herd was, and tipped the rangers off to their location. It turns out, they were back near the watering hole right where the hole misadventure began.
With a location in mind, it was now up to the rangers to lead the baby back to its herd. Again, they wanted to keep it safe, and going along this journey with it was the only way to ensure that.
A Happy Family Reunion
With the baby elephant in tow, rangers led him to the location the tourists had hinted at. As soon as the youngster was close enough to see his herd he called out them and ran toward them.
The herd reacted with the same excitement! For everyone involved, what had started as a disaster turned into a harrowing rescue mission and heartwarming reunion. For the rangers, it was just another day on the job. For the elephants, it was life altering and unexpected kindness at its finest.
The Story Of Sheila
Sheila was one of the lions rescued by the U.S Department of Agriculture in July 2009. A lot of the lions rescued that year were in poor shape, but Sheila's condition was particularly dire.
She was severely underweight, frail, and weak. Her rescuers thought that there wasn't much hope for her, but they decided to take a chance and help her anyway. They wanted to at least give her an opportunity to pull through.
A Rough Life
Sheila was rescued from an entertainment center in Texas. Her job was to make her owner a lot of money by performing at high profile parties and events. Sheila wasn't the only lion at this entertainment center, but she was the lion who had worked and suffered the most.
Sheila's caretaker was particularly cruel to his lions. Keahey, founder of In-Sync Organization explained, "when they are no longer useful to him, he throws them aside and stops taking care of them."
Cooped Up In A Cage
Sadly for Sheila, she had spent most of her life held in captivity in Texas. She had been a working lioness since she was just a little cub.
She had started living as a pet and appearing in photoshoots, and then she began working in the entertainment industry. Sheila was a wild animal living a domestic, labor-intensive life, and it was taking a massive toll on her health and well-being.
In Poor Condition
Sheila was suffering from a coordination problem, and pretty soon, she couldn't even stand up on her own. Her rescuers understood that her muscles were weak and it was causing her problems even while she was just walking around.
She could hardly lift her head up to eat or to get a drink of water. She had completely lost her appetite and it seemed like she had completely lost her will to live.
One Of Many
Unfortunately, Sheila's story isn't all that rare. Animals are stolen for entertainment purposes all the time. Famously, the documentary Blackfish exposed fishermen who steal baby whales from the ocean and sell them to places like Sea World for profit.
Most of these animals aren't cared for properly and they end up living short, tortured lifespans. Sheila's rescuers were hoping that she wouldn't suffer that same fate
A Special Organization
Sheila was in such bad condition that the U.S Department of Agriculture decided to hand her over to an animal social welfare organization known as In-Sync Exotics Wildlife Rescue and Education Center.
This is an organization that specializes in sheltering stranded animals and nursing them back to health. The U.S Department of Agriculture told In-Sync that if Sheila's condition didn't improve, they should strongly consider euthanizing her. It wasn't fair to allow Sheila to suffer.
She Couldn't Eat On Her Own
Sheila was brought to In-Sync and started settling in. At first, she wasn't responding well to treatment. Even so, her rescuers were determined to save Sheila's life.
She wasn't able to eat food on her own, so the team would sit with her and hand-feed her. The founder of In Sync said, "For two weeks, I had to go in with Sheila and hand-feed her." She added, "I'd take meatballs balls and literally stuff them down her throat."
No SIgns Of Improvement
Even though the team at In-Sync was doing everything they could to help Sheila, it didn't look like she was improving much. Her health seemed to be pretty much the same as it was when she arrived.
One In-Sync member said, "She had very little muscle coordination, and thus when she walked, her legs would slip out from under her." It was going to be a very slow road to recovery.
Slow Progress
The rescuers at In-Sync had experience working with wild animals in poor conditions before, but they had never seen a case quite like this. It was as though Sheila was refusing to get better. They thought she had given up completely. After days of weakness and lethargy, Sheila stopped moving altogether.
She would throw up whatever she ate and it seemed like her health was getting worse. This put the rescuers in a really tough position.
A Tough Decision
The team at In-Sync was at a total loss. They were doing everything they could to help Sheila, but nothing seemed to be working. After a few weeks of tireless work, they decided to consider USDA's advice of euthanizing this big cat.
Sheila's life had become painful and difficult. The team had to face the fact that the most merciful thing to do was to give Sheila a peaceful end to life.
One Of A Kind Lion
The team really didn't want to lose Sheila. She was a beautiful animal who had spent her whole life in captivity. They wanted to give her a chance to enjoy the life she had left. Sheila wasn't like other lions. Her fur was very blonde, which made her stand out from other big cats.
Her blonde fur was probably the reason that she was worth so much to her previous owner. Lionesses of this color are only found in Timbavati and South Africa. In-Sync was actually prepared to euthanize Sheila when some new information came to light...
A Diagnosis For Sheila
The In-Sync team had a revelation about this beautiful ion. They figured out that Sheila was suffering from a disease called toxoplasmosis, as well as a lack of vitamin A.
This meant that there were parasites in Sheila's blood. The disease can be fatal for members of the feline family. Now that her caretakers knew what was wrong with Sheila, they just had to get her to take her medicine.
Loads Of Symptoms
Toxoplasmosis is an infection usually found in cats. An animal develops this infection when their immune system is not strong enough to fight off infections.
Years of improper care caused Sheila's immune system to weaken, which is how she developed the disease. Symptoms of toxoplasmosis include reduced coordination, disorientation, anorexia, lethargy, breathing difficulties, enlarged lymph nodes, and apparent blindness. If not properly and promptly treated, this disease can be fatal.
Taking Her Medicine
Sheila's caretakers immediately started treating her with antibiotics. It had taken a while to arrive at a diagnosis, and Sheila was starting her antibiotic regimen quite late into her condition, but this was Sheila's only hope.
It's no easy task to get a stubborn lion to take a whole bunch of antibiotics. Sheila was difficult and sometimes it would take an hour for the In-Sync team to get her to take her medicine.
Slowly Getting Better
Immediately after Sheila started taking her antibiotics, she started feeling better. Pretty soon she was able to walk and eat on her own.
Naturally, all of Sheila's caretakers thought that the improvement in her health was due to the medicine she was taking, but in reality, she was getting better so quickly because of a completely different reason— one that nobody had noticed before. Sheila had a different kind of medicine.
A Big Change
In a Facebook post, In-Sync stated, "Sheila has made a remarkable improvement. She has regained muscle control, swallows easily, and runs and hops like a bunny."
But even the handlers and caretakers who worked with Sheila every day weren't sure why this lion who was previously so sickly was able to make such a quick recovery. Antibiotics are wonderful, but they couldn't have restored Sheila's will to live all on their own.
A New Friend
The enclosure Sheila was living in at the In-Sync facility had another enclosure attached to it. There was someone in the enclosure next to Sheila's that helped the lioness feel happier and healthier.
When the employees at In-Sync discovered what was happening between the two enclosures, they were completely shocked. Keep reading to find out who Sheila's helpful neighbor was, and why she bounced back so quickly.
Meeting Khan
It was a lion! A very handsome male lion, to be exact. It seems like Sheila had developed a crush on her neighbor. From the very beginning, these two had formed a very close bond.
Sheila's love for Kahn was the reason she was able to progress so quickly. Now that she had a relationship with another lion, she had found the will to live. Also, Kahn had a similar backstory to Sheila.
Sticking Together
Kahn is a six-year-old lion who was rescued by In-Sync just a few months before Sheila's rescue. Like Sheila, Kahn was a lion who used to work in the entertainment industry in Texas.
He was also mistreated by his handlers and when he arrived at the rescue facility, he was in very poor health just like Sheila was. Maybe these two were able to bond so quickly because they had lived through similar circumstances.
Kahn The Magnificent
Just like Sheila, Kahn was a show animal. He used to entertain audiences in private parties by showing off his roar or balancing on his two back legs. His handlers took him to different events around the city, and sometimes he performed at multiple events or parties in a single day.
All of that traveling and hard work made him sick, but he was still forced to perform despite his illness.
In Poor Condition
When Kahn was finally rescued by the In-Sync team, he was in horrible condition. He was malnourished and weighed about 100 pounds less than the average lion his age. He had been beaten and overworked by his owner.
He was forced to live in a tiny cage that stunted his growth and compromised his bones. He became so frustrated with his living conditions that he did something totally unexpected.
A Frustrated Lion
Because of the way he was treated and how he was forced to live, Kahn lion chewed his own tail off out of boredom and frustration. The tip of his tail had become completely raw and swollen. Had he not been rescued in time, he would have developed an infection and died.
Keahey explained, "When Kahn came, the end of his tail was completely chewed off and [he] was very thin." Kahn also suffered from bone problems that made it difficult for him to walk.
He Was Quite Aggressive
Kahn was very aggressive when he first came to the rescue center. It was very difficult for the In-Sync team to interact with him and to help him. Because he hadn't been given enough food when he was living with his previous owner, he was very aggressive when it came to feeding time.
In many ways, Kahn was a very dangerous lion. Workers had to use extreme care when feeding him or treating him.
A New Member Of The Family
Kahn was a fighter, and unlike Sheila, he never lost his will to live. He was able to recover quickly and soon this aggressive beast turned into a calm and relaxed animal.
Kahn fit right in with the other lions at the rescue center, and he seemed to really enjoy his new life in retirement. His aggression was mostly an effect of his health issues, and now that his health issues are resolved, he is much less aggressive.
A Place To Call Home
Kahn felt right at home at the In-Sync rescue center. He became so good-natured that the workers at the center were able to build him some cinder-block stairs so that he could get into the den in his enclosure more easily.
Now he had a lot more room to stretch out and relax. This place was a lot different from the small cage that Kahn was used to living in.
Fast Friends
Now Kahn just needed a friend to play with. Lions are very social creatures who tend to live in packs (called prides), which is why it's especially upsetting that both Kahn and Sheila were isolated from other lions for so long.
As soon as Kahn and Sheila were placed next to each other they immediately developed a friendship. This friendship was the key to Sheila's recovery. Kahn's fighting spirit was starting to rub off on her.
They Were Both Damaged
Both of these wild cats had gone through the same kind of tragedy, however, the situations of both were a little different.
The in-sync founder explained 'It was easy to treat him and get him comfortable with his new surroundings. Sheila, on the other hand, was in very bad shape … Sheila was almost dead." Even though these lions had both been through a lot of trauma, their different personalities caused them to respond to that trauma differently.
Moving In Together
Keahey opened up about the improving condition of both the lions: "As time went by they both healed and grew into beautifully grown lions." She continued, "In the meanwhile, we had finished our new lion enclosure.
The way it was designed would have Kahn and Sheila living next door to each other.” These two were taking the next step in their relationship. Who knows where this pairing could go?
Holding Each Other Close
Kahn and Sheila's friendship developed into something more than a friendship. The two would spend a lot of time playing with each other. Keahey said, "Sheila spent the next few months showing off for Kahn, and Kahn strutted his stuff for her."
These two lions clearly had some kind of love for each other, that is if you believe that lions can fall in love. Have you seen The Lion King? They definitely can.
Taking Precautions
The workers at In-Sync saw that these two lions were clearly affectionate towards each other. They decided to let them date and to let them share an enclosure, but before they did that, they spayed Sheila so that there were no happy accidents. We don't need any more lions born in captivity.
Vicky, who works at In-Sync explained, "we did short dates every day, then the dates got longer and then the dates became unsupervised."
A Lion Marriage
The workers at In-Sync saw that these two lions were clearly affectionate towards each other. They decided to let them date and to let them share an enclosure, but before they did that, they spayed Sheila so that there were no happy accidents. We don't need any more lions born in captivity.
Vicky, who works at In-Sync explained, "we did short dates every day, then the dates got longer and then the dates became unsupervised."
Can You Feel The Love Tonight?
This newlywed couple can't get enough of each other. Sheila is absolutely in love with her husband. She also enjoys playing with cardboard boxes and getting a lot of attention from her caretakers. Vicky has revealed that Kahn is very possessive over his wife.
He gets very jealous when other lions look at Sheila and he does everything in his power to protect her. Keep reading to find out what Kahn does when another lion approaches Sheila.
A Jealous Husband
Kahn knows that he's super lucky to have a wife as strong and as beautiful as Sheila. Kahn likes to make sure that she's safe at all times. Vicky says, "Then Kahn lets that guy know she belongs to him. He roars and sometimes charges at them."
These two rescued animals make such a perfect couple. But what happened to the people who abused them? What are they doing now?
The Consequences Of Their Actions
The man who abused Sheila, Kahn and other animals is no longer entitled to keep big cats or wild animals. He lost his ability to keep lions, which in turn affected his business and how much money he is able to make.
However, some animal rights activists thought that this man should receive a more severe penalty. They thought he should spend time in prison or at least be fined for what he did to these magnificent creatures.
Happily Ever After
This story that started with animals in horrible conditions, fortunately, ended with some lion-sized love. Sheila was almost euthanized, but now she gets to live out the rest of her life with her beloved lion husband.
This story makes us believe in happy endings, and it makes us want to do everything we can to make sure that no more lions are stolen from their natural homes and overworked for human entertainment.
