Baby elephant has lost its trunk! How can he survive now
Transcript
00:00 Africa is known for its exotic wildlife, so naturally it is a popular destination among
00:14 safari-seeking visitors.
00:16 However, some parts of the continent offer rich hunting opportunities, so it also appeals
00:21 to big game enthusiasts and illegal poachers alike.
00:25 As a result, conservation is essential to keeping threatened species alive.
00:30 And that's where game reserves such as Kruger National Park or KNP in northeastern South
00:36 Africa come in.
00:37 Within game reserve boundaries, hunting native animals is either controlled or forbidden
00:42 entirely.
00:43 To police this, KNP uses drones and park rangers in the fight against poaching.
00:49 Rhinoceros and elephants are particularly at risk because some of their body parts fetch
00:54 a high price on the black market.
00:56 Specifically, rhino horns and elephant tusks are high-value products to poachers.
01:02 The tragic part is that these wonderful creatures' numbers are dwindling as a result.
01:07 Take elephants for instance.
01:08 They are so important to Africa that experts think of them as a keystone species.
01:13 That means the animals have a huge impact on the local environment.
01:16 Indeed, their presence is vital to the well-being of other species in the ecosystem.
01:22 But apart from that, elephants are fascinating creatures with a close family structure.
01:26 They are intelligent beasts too, with highly developed brains that are capable of processing
01:31 a wide range of emotions.
01:33 Furthermore, they can use tools, show evidence of self-awareness and seem to care deeply
01:38 for their young.
01:40 Elephants even look after other herd members' calves.
01:43 Additionally, elephants are unselfish animals.
01:46 In this regard, they differ from other species that tend to ignore the more vulnerable individuals
01:51 among their social group.
01:53 Elephants commonly go out of their way to help weak or wounded members of the herd.
01:58 Perhaps this explains the recent footage of an injured baby elephant.
02:02 On July 1, 2018, some visitors to the KNP came across an upsetting sight.
02:07 They saw a baby elephant minus its trunk.
02:11 One of them managed to film the afflicted calf and passed the footage to other park
02:15 guides in the vicinity, hoping they may be able to assist the poor pachyderm.
02:19 The sorrowful sight of an elephant missing its vital appendage is tragic, but how did
02:23 it happen?
02:25 The truth is that no one really knows.
02:27 Several people, including the cameraman himself, have floated theories, yet without firm facts,
02:32 it's all conjecture.
02:34 The photographer spoke to NewsFlare about his suspicions regarding the missing proboscis.
02:39 "Crocodiles grabbing baby elephants by their trunks while drinking water have been recorded
02:44 in Kruger before," he said, and this was the most likely reason for this baby elephant
02:49 losing its crucially important body part.
02:51 "An attack by a predator is definitely possible," National Geographic explorer and elephant
02:57 advocate Joyce Poole confirmed.
02:59 On the other hand, she disagrees that it's the most probable reason for the missing appendage.
03:04 Poole explained that the nature of a crocodile attack means any resulting wounds are likely
03:08 to look somewhat ragged.
03:11 The stub of the trunk in this case, however, appears relatively smooth.
03:14 When a crocodile strikes, it holds its prey in its mouth and spins around in a death roll.
03:20 The resulting injuries are often rough and messy, unlike the elephant calf's trunk stump.
03:25 Additionally, an attack from any other wild predator, such as a lion or leopard, would
03:30 probably be just as brutal.
03:32 So if it wasn't a predator that took the baby elephant's trunk, what was it?
03:37 Colorado State University's elephant specialist George Whitmire believes he has the answer.
03:43 On September 7, 2018, he told National Geographic how he suspected human involvement.
03:49 To be more exact, Whitmire indicated poaching snares as a likely culprit for the calf's
03:54 lost trunk.
03:55 "Legs caught in snares tend to have the snare still embedded in the leg," he explained.
04:00 But trunks don't contain a bone to limit further damage.
04:04 "Trunks that are caught in snares tend to be severed," Whitmire revealed.
04:08 Poole added that, although a trunkless calf seems like an unusual sight, it happens far
04:13 more often than it should.
04:14 "It's pretty common in areas where there's snaring going on," he said.
04:19 Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique is one such area.
04:24 In that park, says Poole, there are quite a few elephants missing the ends of their
04:28 trunks — and some even half their trunks.
04:31 Regarding this, Poole admitted that this particular truncated trunk is the most extreme she can
04:37 remember seeing.
04:38 Sometimes, the snares aren't even meant for elephants.
04:41 The animals actually set the traps off accidentally.
04:45 So what does the future hold for the calf without its trunk?
04:48 Well, that depends on who you ask, since expert opinion is divided.
04:54 The man who shot the footage said the animal would likely perish without its proboscis.
04:58 "An individual can simply not survive without its trunk," he told NewsFlare.
05:03 "Elephants use their trunks to feed, drink water and smell."
05:06 Unfortunately, the future for this poor little one looked very bleak.
05:10 Whitmire agreed the calf's survival is unlikely.
05:13 But according to Poole, there remains a glimmer of hope.
05:16 "It will obviously have a harder time than other elephants," she told National Geographic,
05:21 but it may be being helped by members of the family.
05:24 Their behavior is so adaptable, so flexible.
05:28 And Poole has more good news.
05:29 "It looks like that wound is healed," she said.
05:32 "So it's had it for a while and is in very good condition.
05:35 The calf is not thin, so it's getting enough nutrition somewhere."
05:39 Perhaps the herd's altruism and the calf's intelligence will help it survive after all.
05:44 [Music]