Female elephants travel in herds and have deep familial bonds. So it’s no surprise that when a baby elephant fell into a river, the entire herd pitched in to save it.
The most extraordinary part, however, is that onlookers Jaques Joubert and Michelle Broadhurst were able to catch the event on video while visiting the Kruger National Park in South Africa.
You can see how the elephants worked together to keep the baby of the group safe in the video below:
Defenders of Wildlife explains that the herds are often lead by the oldest and largest elephant of the group, called the matriarch. That explains why in the above video, it is the biggest elephant who eventually gets into the river to help the baby after trying to scoop it with her trunk does not work.
Unfortunately, this isn’t the first time a river has caused a bit of struggle for a smaller elephant! Other videos showcasing elephants having the equivalent of the human version of “a case of the Mondays” have surfaced online, too. And yes, their elephant friends came to the rescue in these instances also!
We hate to see these animals struggle, but knowing that they have family and friends to help them out of the tough times make these moments pretty adorable — and teach us humans a thing or two about friendship and kindness, too!