For the elephant mother and her two children, the mud pit turned out to be a true trap.
Elephants in Kenya prefer to spend time in mud puddles. Dirt is cooling and helps to protect the skin, writes pawmypets.com
But occasionally, a pit like that might become a source of stress rather than comfort.
A family as a whole experienced it. Dr. Kieran Avery, an African veterinarian and campaigner, told the audience about saving infant elephants and their mother. He suggested that when both baby elephants tried to be bathed in the mud but got trapped and were stuck themselves, their mother tried to pull them out.
A rescue squad arrived on the spot. Elephant removal is simply not that simple, even with the correct tools. The cables must actually be tied properly in order to prevent pain for the animals.
The rescue effort lasted about two hours. The family was freed with the aid of tractors, wires, and volunteers.
Mother was very worn out as she struggled to get the kids out. After being freed, she laid on the ground for 25 minutes before being able to stand up. The entire family then moved to join the remaining members of the herd.
Source: pawmypets.com