When This Herd Abandoned A Baby Elephant, Help Came From An Unexpected Place

Traveling with backup

Many animals, like wild lions, wolves, giraffes and hyenas like to travel in packs. Stemming from their instinct for self-protection, animals know they are less vulnerable when they have strength in numbers.

Intimidating

Surprisingly, when it comes to elephants, travelling in a herd is more about their social needs and instincts. Adults can reach heights of 10 feet, and weigh over 6 tons, so they’re not vulnerable to many predators. While they may travel in packs, though, they don’t always stick together.

Pack mentality

Female elephants are more likely to travel closely together, along with their young. who stick together, along with their young. Once the males of the herd reach a certain age, they often wander from the group in search of females. The females lead the herd, creating a special bond between members of the elephant family.

Never By Choice

Just like human mothers, female elephants will never abandon their children by choice, but sometimes the unexpected nature of the wild leads to unlikely and often dangerous situations. That’s what happened to one young elephant in South Africa, who was abandoned by the rest of its pack. Defenceless and alone, it was left to fend for itself when something surprising occurred.