This is the adorable moment a baby elephant clings to its mother after being pulled from a well in Zambia. Veterinarians had had to knock out the mother while removing her calf from a man-made well in South Luanɡwa National Park because she was so sick.

Once the calf was safe, it ran to its mother and clung to her ear with its trunk until she could be rescued. This is the touching moment a baby elephant places a tender trunk in its mother’s ear after being ʀᴇsᴄᴜᴇᴅ from a man-made well in South Luangwa National Park in Zambia. Veterinarians were called to a village in the national park after locals heard the mother’s screams and noticed that her calf had gotten into the hole and couldn’t get out. When medical teams arrived, both mother and baby had been awake all night, and they decided that the safest way to put the baby to sleep was to sleep with the mother first.

Villagers approached the baby’s location after hearing the mother’s cries and called workers to the scene. The vets arrived the next day and found both animals very distressed, they had been struggling in the well all night. They had to restrain the anxious mother so she could help the baby safely. Rachel McRobb said: “Once the mum was on the ground, the baby was small enough that we could lift her out of the well and carry her about 30 meters back to the mum.”

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When workers tried to remove the baby elephant from the well, they sedated its mother several meters away. The baby, terrified, exhausted and hungry after being trapped in the well all night, awaited the team’s arrival. With the mother sedated, the rescuers managed to remove her calf from the pit and transport it to a safe place. Placed next to the sleeping mother, the calf was initially apprehensive, distrustful of the doctors administering the medication. However, he soon understood her intentions and remained by her side until the mother regained consciousness. While the veterinarians administered the awakening drugs, the calf walked alongside them, gently placing its trunk over its mother’s ear.

Rachel added: “She had a good defense for a minute when we put her down and then we decided that our group was helping and we wouldn’t leave him alone. The baby didn’t mind Dr. Sichande administering the ᴀɴᴛɪᴅοᴛᴇ in his presence and ended up getting in the way trying to help. We reversed the mom with the ᴀɴᴛɪᴅοᴛᴇ and as soon as she started to get up, the baby immediately suckled. He must have been very hungry all night in the well. Then everyone left happy.”