It Takes a Village to Raise a Baby Elephant out of a Well (story & video)

Indian locals and forest officials band together to save an endangered Asian elephant.



http://www.takepart.com/video/2015/09/23/village-saves-baby-elephant-india

September 23, 2015 By Taylor Hill

Taylor Hill is an associate editor at TakePart covering environment and wildlife.


With a steady stream of stories revealing humans’ impact on elephants—as many as 96 are killed every day by poachers—hearing the cheers of an entire village at the rescue of just one is a welcome change.

According to Indian forest officials, the six-year-old adolescent elephant had wandered into an unused water well outside Kuttamphuza village in southern Kerala state on Sept. 15.

In the video footage, the elephant is shown standing helpless in water up to its mouth as workers use an excavator to dig a pathway for it. At one point, it appears the elephant is trying to use its trunk to dig alongside the heavy machinery. After more than five hours, the elephant emerges—met with cheers from throngs of villagers.

According to local media, forest officials tracked the elephant to make sure it was reunited with its family.

FULL story at link.