Babies in the animal kingdom are far more independent than us human babies, they have to learn to fend for themselves from an early age.
But there is a learning and protection period to ensure they are fully ready to go out into the wild and look after themselves.
This is evident in the elephant world, where without the guidance and protection of the mother, baby elephants face a dangerous future.
One baby elephant not only lost his mother but was also injured when he was found by rescuers in Thailand. They called him Dok Geaw and took him to the safety of Elephant Nature Park, a rescue and rehabilitation center.
Dok Geaw was one year and nine months when he arrived at the sanctuary. Rescuers weren’t sure how the herd would respond to this scared young thing and kept him in a gated area so he was protected from the herd.
But when the elephants spotted the new arrival they did something that blew everyone away. Thank goodness someone caught this moment on camera.
The herd start running toward Dok’s container and it’s not clear what they’re going to do when they get to the baby elephant but their response shows just how intuitive these creatures are.
The herd rush up to his container and stick their trunks through the gate and show him all the love and affection. Dok seems very happy to get so much positive energy and I hope he finds the mother figure he needs in his new family.
See this amazing herd in action in the clip below
Please SHARE this story with someone who also thinks elephants are amazing.