Herd Rescues Fallen Baby Elephant on Busy Roadway

[Carolyn Bailey]

Herd Rescues Fallen Baby Elephant  

Originally posted on Marc Bekoff's Animal Emotions Blog

Every now and again I see a video that makes me smile and realize, once again, that numerous nonhuman animals (animals) are deeply caring, compassionate and empathic beings  All too often media represent animals as mean and aggressive individuals. And, while animals do indeed on occasion fight with one another, it's still very clear that dismissively and pejoratively calling a human being an "animal" because they engage in violent activities is a misrepresentation of whom nonhumans really are. 

They say a picture is worth a thousand words, and this video of a herd of elephants rescuing a baby elephant who decides for some reason to lie down on a busy highway in Kruger National Park in South Africa is well worth numerous words and the two plus minutes it'll take to watch it. You'll see the baby lie down seemingly without a care in the world, and then a group of elephants come in and clearly try to coax the youngster to stand up and move off the highway.

It's also a good and much needed "up" in a world in which many other animals, including these magnificent beings, are unrelentingly harmed and killed by humans. Elephants and other animals can teach us numerous valuable lessons about caring, compassion, and empathy, as this video clearly demonstrates. I hope people who watch it will also share it with youngsters so they, too, can see the "nice" side of the fascinating animals with whom we share our magnificent planet.

Marc Bekoff's latest books are Jasper's story: Saving moon bears (with Jill Robinson), Ignoring nature no more: The case for compassionate conservation, Why dogs hump and bees get depressed, and Rewilding our hearts: Building pathways of compassion and coexistence. The Jane effect: Celebrating Jane Goodall (edited with Dale Peterson) has recently been published. (marcbekoff.com; @MarcBekoff)

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