Use spades to dig the frightened animal-free after being trapped there for two days

Baby elephant is trapped in a mud pit on the side of Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe Anti-poaching Unit Scores Success

A baby elephant is rescued by an anti-poaching group after it was trapped in a mud pit for two days. A team from the anti-poaching group, Bumi Hills Foundation, made their way over Lake Kariba, Zimbabwe, to rescue the mammal after fishermen reported the incident.

Footage captures the baby elephant submerged in the pit, while its mother scrapes away the mud with its foot. The distressed mother frantically attempts to dig out her child, as it struggles to keep its head above the sticky mud.
The rescuers approach the mother in a boat, however, the distressed elephant charges at the group and splashes her trunk in the lake. Locals reported they had spotted the trapped elephant two days before, however, the remote location proved difficult in getting the word out.

Rescuers are forced to immobilize the mother using a dart gun to sedate her, allowing them to get up close to the baby. As the mother rolls over in the mud, the team sprays her with cold water and puts wet towels on her trunk in a desperate attempt to cool her down.

The team digs the baby elephant free using spades as it trumpets to signal distress. After 30 minutes of digging, the baby is hauled from the mud using ropes tied around its stomach.

The group checks the mother over as she stumbles to her feet and walks off into the bushes with her child.

What does the Bumi Hills anti-poaching unit do for their day? They start with drills before they get into the bush looking for poachers. Poachers aim for anything from elephants to rhinos, to the small game for meat. But Nick Milne, the founder, and head of the Foundation said his anti-poaching unit has been successful.

“We have eliminated elephant poaching completely for nearly two years. March 2015 was the last recorded elephant carcass,” he said. “But our area is very small. All we have done is push the problem further afield. We know from our neighboring area that elephant poaching has increased in those areas. So we are in the process at the moment to work with everyone else to try to increase our collaborative efforts. There is a lot being done on the ground but it is fragmented so it is not being effective.”

The Great Elephant Census funded by philanthropist Paul Allen about 20 years ago concluded that the elephant population had decreased by 75 percent in this area. That motivated Milne to get into the conservation effort. He says an anti-poaching program can only yield results if local communities are involved.

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